Assessment of Salt Tolerance in Wheat Accessions: Growth and Yield Components under Saline Conditions

Iraq is one of two regions (along with Africa) heavily impacted by soil salinity. A significant portion of land in Iraq, Pakistan, India, and Egypt is unsuitable for agriculture due to this issue. Breeding and hybridization programs may utilize parameters exhibiting high genotypic variation and linked to salt tolerance as quick and affordable screening criteria. The goal of this study was to assess the growth and yield components of wheat accessions for their salt tolerance. Five accessions of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) with varying salt tolerances were employed in this work. The plants were grown in saline-affected soil with a salinity of 28 dS m−1 and were irrigated with well water having a salinity of 7.5 dS m−1. The findings demonstrated that as plants progressed through different growth stages, the soil’s salt concentration decreased. For the A1, A2, and N3 accessions, this decrease was from 28 dS m−1 before sowing to 8, 7.5, and 7.6 dS m−1, respectively. At the mature stage, the Tamoz2 and Maxipak cultivars showed salinity levels of approximately 16 and 17 dS m−1, respectively. Wheat accessions A1, A2, and N3 displayed the highest germination rates under salinized conditions, at 89%, 90%, and 90%, respectively, which differed considerably from those of the Tamoz2 and Maxipak cultivars, at 79% and 83%, respectively. A statistical analysis of the data revealed that the Tamoz2 cultivar required fewer days for germination (12 days) than genotype A2, which required a maximum of 14 days. Accession A3 was the latest for spike formation and growth, at 119 days, while accession A1 required the most time for physiological maturity, at 153 days. Significant reductions were observed in the number of spikes per 6 m2, grain weight, and grains per spike in the sensitive cultivars Tamoz2 and Maxipak. The A2 accession achieved an increased grain yield of 2739.43 g, with no significant differences compared to the A1 accession. However, substantial differences were observed when compared to the remaining sensitive cultivars Maxipak and Tamoz2, which yielded 242.98 g and 346.61 g, respectively. In conclusion, metrics for measuring growth and yield components may serve as useful standards for determining the salt tolerance of wheat accessions. Furthermore, as the A1, A2, and A3 accessions were found to be the most salt-tolerant in this study, breeding programs and appropriate selection strategies can be employed to further enhance the salt tolerance of Iraqi wheat accessions.