ISOLATION OF SODIUM-CHLORIDE TOLERANT CELL-LINES AND PLANTS IN FINGERMILLET

Sodium chloride tolerant cell lines of finger millet were isolated fro m embryogenic cultures growing on MS medium supplemented with picloram (2 mg l-1), kinetin (0. 1 mg l-1) and sodium chloride (I %) at the en d of 6 passages. The sodium chloride tolerant cell lines showed better growth in comparison with control at all concentrations of sodium chl oride tested, with optimum growth at 0.25 % NaCl. When the tolerant li nes were grown for 3 passages in absence of NaCl, the growth was lower than that of the tolerant lines tested immediately at the end of 6 pa ssages of selection. NaCl tolerant calli had more Na+ in comparison wi th control and they regenerated plants in presence of 1 % NaCl, while the control lines failed to differentiate. When screened in a hydropon ics system with 1 % NaCl, the tolerant plants grew to maturity while t he control plants failed to grow.