In vitro study reveals dose-dependent growth suppression under sodium chloride stress in cultured garlic plantlets, highlighting shoot length as an effective screening indicator.
Key Points
To evaluate the morphological and growth responses of garlic (Allium sativum L.) shoot tip explants exposed to varying concentrations of NaCl salinity stress in vitro.
Cultured shoot tip explants of Taşköprü garlic on Murashige and Skoog (MS) media supplemented with 0, 100, 200, and 300 mM NaCl.
Measured shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, shoot length, dry matter content, and infection rate at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of culture.
Exposure to 100 mM NaCl moderately reduced growth parameters to roughly 77% to 80% of control values, whereas concentrations of 200 mM and above severely suppressed shoot elongation and biomass accumulation.
Shoot length demonstrated the strongest linear decline relative to NaCl concentration by day 28 (y = -0.143x + 55.82; R² = 0.917), establishing it alongside fresh weight as a primary morphological marker for salt stress.