Maize under Stress: Identifying Robust Cultivars for Saline Industrial Landscapes

Siddhartha Kumar Roy; Progna Shil; Tusar Kanti Roy; Israt Jahan Irin; Md. Shafiqul Islam Sikdar; Md. Yasin Ali; Bikash Chandra Sarker; Md. Sohrab Hossain; Tamanna Tasnim; Md. Asgar Hossain

doi:10.53523/ijoirVol13I1ID637

Authors

Siddhartha Kumar Roy Khulna Public College, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh
Progna Shil Khulna Government Model School and College, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh
Tusar Kanti Roy Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Khulna Agricultural University, Khulna, Bangladesh
Israt Jahan Irin Department of Agronomy, Khulna Agricultural University, Khulna, Bangladesh
Md. Shafiqul Islam Sikdar Department of Agronomy, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Md. Yasin Ali Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh
Bikash Chandra Sarker Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Md. Sohrab Hossain Department of Agronomy, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Tamanna Tasnim Department of Agronomy, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Md. Asgar Hossain Khulna Public College, Boyra, Khulna, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53523/ijoirVol13I1ID637

Keywords:

Maize hybrid, Stress Tolerance Index, Salinity stress, Germination rate, Salinity

Abstract

Salinity significantly reduce maize growth at seedling and germination stage which impact negatively its agro-industrial growth. This study evaluates the salinity response of eight maize cultivars across four salinity gradients (0.5.10.15 Dsm-1 of NaCl) to identify robust genotypes for saline-prone agricultural zones.Statistical analysis reveals that critical productivity indicators including germination percentage (GP), germination rate (GR), vigor index (VI), and shoot/root biomass vary significantly based on four salinity levels. In high-input hybrid systems, BHM 9 demonstrated superior performance with the highest GP (92.78%) and RG (92.40%), followed by BHM 7 and BHM 6. Conversely, within inbred lines, Khoibhutta maintained the highest vigor and coefficient of germination (CG) under control and low-stress conditions, while Mohor and BHM 5 exhibited the highest susceptibility to saline stress. These findings provide a data-driven foundation for cultivar selection in salt-affected regions. For industrial-scale farming, the deployment of BHM 9 (hybrid) and Khoibhutta (inbred) is recommended to ensure high germination rates and seedling uniformity, thereby mitigating the financial risks associated with crop failure in saline soils. Identifying these tolerant genotypes allows for more precise land-use planning and targeted breeding programs, ensuring stable yields in increasingly marginalized agricultural environments.