Phenotypic Variability of 20 Rice Genotypes Under Salt Stress

Salinity is a serious problem holding-back rice production in Niger. To identify a tolerant genotype it is important to exploit the genetic variability of the available germplasm. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to determine the response of rice varieties under salt stress. Fifteen exotic and five local varieties were evaluated in a under four salt levels and a control without salt. The experimental design was a split plot with two replicates. Significant genotype by salt concentration effect was observed. Significant variability among varieties (p = 0.001) across and within salt levels was present for all the traits measured. Five salt tolerant genotypes with high selection index were identified.