Salinity significantly lowers agricultural output, particularly in vegetable crops like chilli ( Capsicum annuum L.). This study analysed 100 chilli genotypes at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, under four salinity levels (0, 2, 4, and 6 dS/m) using 2:1:1 ratio of NaCl, MgSO 4 , and CaCl 2 . Nursery‐stage screening categorised genotypes into 16 highly tolerant, nine tolerant, 15 moderately tolerant and 60 susceptible lines, with highly tolerant group further examined for physiochemical changes. A substantial decrease in relative leaf water (up to 30.3%) and chlorophyll content (up to 82.3%) was observed due to salinity stress, indicating impaired photosynthetic efficiency and water status. Stress‐protective metabolites, proline (up to 60.9%), carotenoids (up to 72.5%), phenols (up to 62.1%) and total soluble proteins (TSPs); however, increased significantly. Hydrogen peroxide and electrolyte leakage (EL) also increased with salinity, indicating oxidative and membrane damage. This study fills a gap by correlating multiparameter biochemical responses to genotypic variation in chilli under salt stress. Genotypes including PAU‐212, CH‐52, KH‐314, and YL‐581 showed greater tolerance across treatments. The findings highlight that proline, carotenoids, phenols, and soluble proteins can prove to be reliable biochemical markers for assessing salt tolerance, suggesting future research should combine these indications with molecular techniques and validate promising genotypes in saline field conditions.
Kaur et al. (2026) studied this question.