Abstract

IQBAL, S. et al. Salt tolerance in quinoa genotypes: Ion-specific adaptations and growth performance under hydroponic conditions. Agrocienc. Urug. [online]. 2025, vol.29, e1538.  Epub Dec 01, 2025. ISSN 2730-5066.  https://doi.org/10.31285/agro.29.1538.

Chenopodium quinoa (Wild.), commonly known as quinoa, is highly tolerant to salt stress, particularly during its seedling stage, due to its ion exclusion capability. This study evaluated the salt tolerance of four quinoa genotypes, UAFQ-1, UAFQ-2, UAFQ-7, and UAFQ-9, under five salinity levels (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mM NaCl) in a hydroponic setup. All genotypes survived up to 400 mM NaCl, with faster growth observed at 100 mM compared to control conditions. However, increasing salinity reduced growth across all genotypes. UAFQ-2 and UAFQ-7 consistently showed superior performance, with greater shoot length and dry weight, particularly under high salinity levels. Even at 300 mM NaCl, these two genotypes maintained near-normal growth, while UAFQ-1 and UAFQ-9 exhibited marked reductions, especially at 300 and 400 mM NaCl. The enhanced salt tolerance of UAFQ-2 and UAFQ-7 was associated with their ability to maintain lower leaf Na⁺ concentrations and a higher K⁺/Na⁺ ratio. These findings indicate that UAFQ-2 and UAFQ-7 possess effective physiological mechanisms, such as improved Na⁺ exclusion, that support better adaptation to salinity stress. The UAFQ-2 and UAFQ-7 genotypes demonstrated a survival strategy in response to high salinity conditions, exhibiting enhanced Na+ exclusion and improved growth traits. These genotypes have the potential to adapt to salinization by modifying their salt tolerance mechanisms.

Keywords : Na+ exclusion; growth traits; future food crop; salinity tolerance; genotypes.

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