Assessment of Salinity Tolerance of 4 Chili Pepper Genotypes in Vietnam
The article describes a new method to assess the response-ability of 4 chili pepper F1 species: Chanh Nong, Chanh Phong, Mui Ten Do, and EV258 based on the different concentrations of NaCl or CaCl2 (0, 50, 100, 200, and 300 mM). This experiment was conducted in invitro and greenhouse conditions within 12 weeks by investigated the growth and developmental parameters. Our experiment showed that salt stress caused a decrease in all indicators at higher salt concentrations. Typically, at 200 mM salt level, 100% Chanh Phong seeds germinated while less germination was found in Mui Ten Do genotype (89%), following EV258 genotype (72%) and Chanh Nong genotype (61%), respectively. While at 300 mM salt level, this rate significantly decreased the germination rate of Chanh Nong genotype (50%) and increased the period of germination from 6 to 9 days compared to the control treatment. Similarly, growth parameters such as plant height, number of leaves, number of branches, number of flowers, and leaf area also decrease as increasing salinity; however, total phenolic compound and antioxidant activity increased. New research results indicated that the Chanh Phong genotype is potentially considered a salt-tolerant stress plant and can be used for chili pepper cultivation under climate change conditions, especially on saline lands.