Breeding for salinity resistance in mulberry (Morus spp.)

Abstract

Soil salinity is one of the major abiotic stresses that reduce agricultural productivity. The levels of salt concentration that are inimical to plant growth have already affected more than one-third of the irrigated land in the world. In order to utilize the vast saline costal lands present in sericulturally important countries in Asia, attempts have been made to develop salt resistant varieties in mulberry. Controlled crosses were made between salt resistant parents that were identified through both in vitro and in vivo screening. Ripened fruits were harvested, and the seeds extracted were germinated on agar-agar containing MS basal medium with 1.25% NaCl. Young seedlings were rescued and nurtured under normal growth conditions. Mature seedlings were transferred to field. Based on comparative performance on survival and growth under salinity, three hybrids namely SR1, SR2 and SR3 were selected and were subjected to detailed investigation using C776 as control. SR3 outperformed other hybrids and the control, hence, was selected for large scale field testing. The encouraging results have tremendous implications on expanding sericulture industry into the costal saline areas in tropical and subtropical regions in Asia.