Germplasm Selection and Comprehensive Evaluation of Maize Inbred Lines at Germination and Seedling Stage for Saline–Alkali Tolerance

作者：Shaoqi Ren, Jianjun Tan, Sheng Zhou, Helu Sun, Honggang Li, Wenjin Li, Nuo Li, WU Jin-feng, Xuejiao Ren, Jiabin Ci, Weiguang Yang · 发表于：Agronomy · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/agronomy15030626 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement、Crop Yield and Soil Fertility、Genetics and Plant Breeding

Soil salinization, recognized globally as a significant environmental issue, can directly impact the sustainable development of agriculture worldwide. As a key crop driving the global agricultural economy, maize is particularly vulnerable to the detrimental effects of salt–alkali stress, which can impede its growth and development from germination through the seedling stages. In this study, 32 maize inbred lines were screened for saline–alkali resistance identification. We performed four treatments—200 mmol/L NaCl, 100 mmol/L Na2CO3, 200 mmol/L NaCl with 25 mmol/L Na2CO3—and distilled water (CK) served as a control with a complete randomized design. Principal component analysis and the membership function value method were employed to evaluate the salt–alkali tolerance of these lines. The results indicate complex correlations among various traits at different growth stages. The relative correlation of each index was established by measuring the key physiological indexes (germination rate, root length and seedling height) of different maize inbred lines at the germination stage and seedling stage and standardizing them via the membership function value method. Subsequently, the principal component analysis method was used to reduce the dimensions of the standardized data, and the main factors affecting maize germination and seedling growth were extracted. The salt–alkali tolerance of maize inbred lines was comprehensively evaluated, and the salt–alkali tolerance and sensitive ...