The tolerance of 26 olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars to an excess of
NaCl in the growing medium was determined in order to screen genotype
s for salt tolerance. Rooted olive cuttings growing in 11 pots and pru
ned to a single shoot per plant were used for the experiment. Treated
plants were watered with a nutrient solution and once a week with 250
ml of a 100 mM NaCl solution. Control plants received only the nutrien
t solution. Relative growth, expressed as shoot length of treated plan
ts as a percentage of that of control plants, was the criterion used f
or screening genotypes. Forty-nine days after the initiation of treatm
ents the relative growth of salt-treated plants ranged from 16 to 70%,
and served to rank cultivars for salt tolerance.