Effect of salinity stress on germination and growth parameters of seedlings of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

A major problem of arid and semi-arid regions is environmental stresses like salinity. To study the effect of salinity on germination characteristics of basil, a completely randomized experiment was conducted under controlled conditions (germinator) with three replications in Department of Agronomy, Birjand Branch of Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran in 2011. The experimental treatments included different salinity levels (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 ds m-1). The studied traits included seedling length and dry weight, germination percentage and rate and seed viability index. It was found that salinity significantly decreased germination rate and percentage and seed viability index of basil, but its effect on seedling length and weight was not different in levele of 0, 2, 4 and 6 ds m-1. In total, it can be concluded that salinity stress mainly decreased germination percentage and rate and seed viability index of basil.