Screening of Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) Mutant Lines for Salinity Tolerance
Richard Atou *
Unité de Recherche sur l’Adaptation des Plantes aux Stress Abiotiques, les Métabolites Secondaires et l’Amélioration des Productions Végétales, Laboratoire de Physiologie Végétale et d’Etude des Stress Environnementaux, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
Gauthier Tonouewa
Unité de Recherche sur l’Adaptation des Plantes aux Stress Abiotiques, les Métabolites Secondaires et l’Amélioration des Productions Végétales, Laboratoire de Physiologie Végétale et d’Etude des Stress Environnementaux, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
Agapit Wouyou
Unité de Recherche sur l’Adaptation des Plantes aux Stress Abiotiques, les Métabolites Secondaires et l’Amélioration des Productions Végétales, Laboratoire de Physiologie Végétale et d’Etude des Stress Environnementaux, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
Eustache Kpochemè
Laboratoire de Biologie Végétale, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques (FSA/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
Antoine Abel Missihoun
Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire et d’Analyse des Génomes, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
David Montcho
Ecole de Gestion et de Production Végétale et Semencière, Université Nationale d’Agriculture, BP 43 Ketou, République du Bénin.
Leonard Ahoton
Laboratoire de Biologie Végétale, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques (FSA/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
Clément Agbangla
Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire et d’Analyse des Génomes, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
Christophe Bernard Gandonou
Unité de Recherche sur l’Adaptation des Plantes aux Stress Abiotiques, les Métabolites Secondaires et l’Amélioration des Productions Végétales, Laboratoire de Physiologie Végétale et d’Etude des Stress Environnementaux, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST/UAC), 01BP526, Tri Postal, Cotonou, République du Bénin.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: The present study was carried out to access the salt tolerance level of nine amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus) mutant lines selected from Benin cultivar ‘Locale’ at young plants stage in comparison with the cultivar ‘Locale’ used as control.
Study Design: The experiment was laid out as a Completely Randomized Design with three replications.
Place and Duration of Study: The experiment was carried out in a screening house at University of Abomey-Calavi, City of Abomey-Calavi, Republic of Benin from May to June, 2020.
Methodology: Three-weeks old plants of the nine stable mutant lines and the control cultivar ‘Locale’ were planted in pots containing a mixture of potting soil and sand. NaCl concentrations: 0; 100; 150 and 200 mM were given by irrigation once in two days Plant growth parameters were evaluated after two weeks.
Results: Salt effect caused a reduction of young plant growth whatever the growth parameter considered with a significant disparity (p=.001) among the genotypes. Growth of the control cultivar, lines 1, 11 and 15 was most affected under salt stress whereas that of lines 18; 23 and 16 was least affected. A significant difference (p=.01 or p=.001) was observed among the salt tolerance index of genotypes. The highest salt tolerance index was observed in the line 23 followed by lines 18 and 2; and the lowest in line 15 followed by line 17, line 10 and the control cultivar.
Conclusion: Some variability was observed among lines for their salt resistance. Lines 23, 18 followed by line 2 appeared as the most salt resistant types whereas line 15, followed by lines 17, 10 and the control cultivar were the most salt sensitive. Thus, lines 23, 18 and 2 are promising for salt affected areas. Further studies are necessary to determine the physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved in the lines’ salt resistance.
Keywords: Amaranthus cruentus, cultivars discrimination, mutation induction, plant growth, NaCl.