Response of mycorrhizal grass pea to salinity

To evaluate the effect of salinity on mycorrhizal grass pea plants, a factorial experiment was conducted based on complete block design at Research Farm of Urmia University in 2012. Treatments were five levels of salinity (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 dS/m of irrigation water from Lake Urmia) and mycorrhizal specie (inoculated by Glomus mosseae and non-inoculated treatment as control). Results of ANOVA showed that interaction effect of mycorrhizal fungi and salinity stress on the chlorophyll a, carotenoid and protein yield was significant. Salinity stress significantly decreased chlorophyll, protein percent and protein yield, whereas the application of mycorrhizal fungi compensated the stress damages. The highest protein percent (17.75%), protein yield (0.82 g/plant) chlorophyll a (4.6 mg/g) and carotenoid (1.42 mg/g) were obtained from mycorrhizal plants by non-saline water (0 dS/m).