Salt Tolerance of Mexican Wheat: I. Effect of NO ₃ and NaCl on Mineral Nutrition, Growth, and Grain Production of Four Wheats

Wheat plants ( Triticum aestivum ) were grown to full maturity under sand culture conditions with variable levels of substrate NO 3 and NaCl. Leaf samples were collected at early spike emergence for chemical analysis of Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, Cl, NO 3 , and total N. Growth measurements included those of flag leaf length, tiller and spike formation, and total straw and grain. The slower maturing variety, Cajeme 71, grew much more vigorously than the more rapidly maturing varieties Inia 66, Yecora, and Siete Cerros. The salt tolerance of Cajeme 71 was 2‐ to 4‐fold greater than that of the other varieties tested. Leaf NO 3 of samples collected at early spike emergence correlated with grain yields irrespective of substrate NaCl levels, suggesting that the growth retardation associated with excessive substrate NaCl was due in part to a Cl‐induced NO 3 deficiency.