22Na influx is significantly lower in salt tolerant groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) varieties

Distinct varieties differing in salt tolerance were initially identified from two separate green house experiments using two systems; solution as well as soil culture. The first screening involved a diverse group of 27 cultivars. Several physiological traits; Chlorophyll Stability Index (CSI), Salt Tolerance Index (STI) and ion content were determined to screen the cultivars for differences in salt tolerance using solution culture in the first experiment. A set of six varieties (three tolerant and three susceptible) were selected from this experiment and then subjected again to salt stress adopting a natural soil system in the second experiment which involved a screening approach essentially similar to that of the first experiment. In the third experiment using two distinct cultivars differing in salt tolerance selected from experiment II, ²²Na influx rate was determined in the root and shoot at the end of a 24 h salt imposition in Hoagland’s nutrient system containing 180 KBq of ²²Na. The results suggested that there were distinct differences in ²²Na influx rate into root and concurrently in the shoot. The salt tolerant Spanish improved and one of the moderately tolerant Trombay variety TAG 24, showed good regulation of ²²Na influx resulting in low ²²Na concentration. The salt susceptible variety JSP39 had nearly 7–8 fold higher root ²²Na content as compared to the tolerant and moderately tolerant cultivars. The results have highlighted the importance of Na exclusion as an important determinant of salt tolerance in groundnut.