Abstract

Bean is among the very sensitive plant species to soil salinity. This study was carried out using  the 55 bean genotypes collected from GevaÅŸ-Van region in Turkey to determine their salinity tolerance. This study aimed to investigate the salt tolerance capacity of this local bean population. 50 mM NaCl was applied to the bean seedlings, and the measurements and observations were done 20 days after the salt application, when the differences among the genotypes appeared. Number of leaves, seedling heights, and root and shoot weights and some nutrients (phosphorous, potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, copper, zinc, and sodium) of the seedlings were determined. The wide variation at salt stress tolerance was observed in this population. The overall performances of local genotypes were better than the tried commercial cultivars.

Key words: Bean, nutrients, salinity, seedling, tolerance.