Evaluation of salinity tolerance in seedlings of<i> Iris</i> × <i>germanica</i> L. hybrids

Salinity is an abiotic stress that primarily impacts plant development and agricultural productivity worldwide and typically occurs in arid and semi-arid areas. Less research has been done on the impact of salt irrigation on the growth and development of ornamental plants, particularly bulbous plants. In order to identify salt-tolerant Iris germanica L. genotypes, an experiment was carried out with four NaCl levels (4 as control, 6, 8, and 12 dS/m). The variation among genotypes caused different responses to salinity conditions. The results showed that the morphological, physiological, and biochemical characteristics of OPRC23 genotypes were superior to those of other genotypes. The highest peroxidase enzyme activity was observed at an 8 dS/m salinity level. The highest content of Chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoid was obtained at a salinity level of 6 dS/m (NaCl). The OPRC54 genotype had the highest levels of chlorophyll a, b, and proline content at 12 dS/m salinity. In conclusion, different levels of salinity can expose different genotypes, which leads to the selection of specific salt tolerant genotypes.