Inter-population Variations of Kochia indica During Germination Under Different Stresses

Germination of three populations of Kochia indica Wight from contrasting soil types were studied under various levels of salinity, alkalinity and osmotic stress with a view to evaluate their potential to establish through seeds in saline and alkaline environments of various magnitudes. The seeds were germinated under controlled conditions in Petri dishes using salinized solutions of NaCl, Na2SO4, MgCl2 and CaSO4 (electrical conductivity, EC, 4–16 dsm1), sodium carbonate solutions (pH 8.5ndash; 10.0), mannitol solutions ( —2.5 to —10.0 bar) and de-ionised distilled water (control). Inter-population differences were very marked, showing selective adaptation of the populations to a particular stress type. In general, all populations exhibited salt tolerance but were rather sensitive to high osmotic stress.