Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2023)

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the salinity tolerance of four varieties of mustard. The treatment consisted of four varieties viz., GM 2 (V₁), GDM 4 (V₂), GDM 5 (V₃) and CS 54 (V₄) and four levels of soil salinity viz., Control (S₁), 4 dS/m (S₂), 6 dS/m (S₃), 8 dS/m (S₄) and 10 dS/m (S₅). Effect of salinity levels and varieties on germination, plant height at 45 DAS and harvest, number of branches per plant, number of siliquae per plant, seed yield, stover yield, crude protein content and oil content were recorded. All four mustard varieties showed reduced in all parameters significantly except crude protein, with each increase in salinity up to 10 dS/m. Among the different varieties tested in the experiment, variety V₄ (CS 54) reported the highest seed yield (46.70 g/pot), stover yield (156.69 g/pot), germination (87.78%), plant height at 45 DAS (85.35 cm) and harvest (177.08 cm), number of branches per plant (15.45) and number of siliquae per plant (273.62). Seed oil (40.43%) was significantly highest with variety V₄ (CS 54). Crude protein content in seed was not affected by different salinity levels and varieties. A significant interaction effect was found for plant height and yield. Overall, the relative tolerance of tested mustard varieties in sequential order: CS 54 (V₄) > GDM 4 (V₂) > GDM 5 (V₃) > GM 2 (V₁).