Effect of Soaking Seeds with Graded Concentrations of Ethyl Methane Sulfonate (EMS) on Local Tobacco Plants under Salt Stress Conditions

The research was conducted during the year 2024. The seeds were treated with three concentrations of the mutagen (0.1, 0.5, 1%) and with a soaking time of (8) hours. In addition, to induce salinity stress, sodium chloride (NaCl) was used at concentrations (4, 8, 12 dmol/cm2). The experiment was implemented according to a randomized complete design (R.C.D.) in the village of Salib - Latakia - Syria. Three replicates for each treatment. Some germination indicators of the treated seeds were measured (germination percentage (%)), morphological indicators of plants (plant height (cm/plant)), morphological indicators (total leaf surface area (cm2), )Net Photosynthesis Rate (mg/cm2/day)( and specific weight of leaves (g/cm2) .

Treatment with the chemical mutagen EMS at low concentration (0.1%) led to an increase in the germination rate, plant height, total leaf surface area, Net Photosynthesis Rate and leaf specific gravity.

On the other hand, increasing the EMS concentration by (0.5 and 1%) led to a decrease in the studied indicators.

Treatment of chemical mutagens under salinity stress conditions at a low concentration (0.1%) improved the values ​​of the studied indicators compared to other treatments. High salinity concentration led to negative effects on all indicators studied

Therefore, we recommend soaking the seeds with a concentration of (0.1%) EMS, due to its role in improving the germination, morphological and morphological characteristics of the local tobacco variety.