Evaluation of Physio-Chemical Responsesin Banana Genotypes Under In vitro Salinity Stress

Salinity is one of the most common abiotic stresses affecting banana growth and yields worldwide.This study focused on investigating four banana varieties, NIGAB-2, Pisang, NIGAB-1, and Grand Naine, which were propagated under in vitro salt stress conditions and assessed their yields.These banana cultivars were micro-propagated on medium (1X MS medium, 30.0 g/l sucrose, 100 mg/l KH 2 PO 4 , 1 mg/l indole acetic acid (IAA), and 2.2 g/l gellen gum) and subjected to seven distinct salt stress treatments, ranging from (0,10,25, 40, 55, 70, 85, and 100 mM) NaCl.Among the selected varieties, Grand Naine attained a plant height of 9.7 cm at 100 mM NaCl, followed by NIGAB-1 (8.6 cm), NIGAB-2 (5.4 cm), and Pisang (4.7 cm) in four weeks.Additionally, NIGAB-1 and Grand Naine showed significant resistance to developing chlorophyll content under salinity stress, with NIGAB-1 exhibiting the highest fresh-weight plant biomass.The varieties demonstrated different responses to salt stress in terms of root features and shoot growth.Furthermore, salt concentrations affected the levels of secondary metabolites such as proline, total sugars, and protein content.NIGAB-1 had the highest protein content, while Pisang had the highest total sugar content.The results of this study demonstrate the variability in salt tolerance among the evaluated banana varieties, with NIGAB-1 exhibiting the highest tolerance, followed by NIGAB-2 and Grand Naine, whereas Pisang is the least salt-tolerant variety.Salt stress negatively affected banana growth, especially at concentrations exceeding 25 mM.Pol. J. Environ.Stud.Vol.XX, No. X (XXXX), 1-10 These findings provide basic information for selecting banana varieties in future breeding programs against salt stress.