Development of salt tolerant high yielding barley lines via crossing between a mutant induced by EMS and a local cultivar

In winter season of 2002/2003, a high yielding barley mutant line and a local variety were hybridized to obtain in one genotype the salt tolerance of the local variety and the high yield potential of the induced mutant. The obtained hybrid grains were planted in 2003/2004 growing season under normal field irrigation conditions to raise F₁ population, which was grown in 2004/2005 season to advance F₂ generation under saline conditions at El-Fayoum experimental agriculture station belonging to the Nuclear Research Center. Phenotypic correlation coefficients between grain yield and its effective traits were estimated for F₂ plant population. Results revealed that the characters most strongly correlated with grain yield were found to be number of spikes and biological yield/plant. Therefore, these couple traits were used as a selection criterion to screen F₂ plant population in order to detect high yielding variants under salinity conditions. As a result, a considerable number of outstanding individual plants were selected from the large F₂ population and their grains were planted in 2005/2006 winter season to raise F₃ progeny rows. Superior plants from superior rows were selected and carried forward to the next winter season of 2006/2007 as F₄ single plant progenies along with the two parental genotypes and a suitable check. Obtained results indicated that mean values of yield and most of its components for the tested progeny lines were significantly (P= 0.1) surpassed averages of the original parents and the check as well. (author)