Effects of Salinity and Planting Depth on the Cultivar PEA ALDERMAN

To evaluate the effect of sodium chloride salinity and planting depth on stem length, number of leaves after 12 days, and days to seedling emergence in PEA ALDERMAN genotypes, three levels of sodium chloride salinity (0.5%, 1.5%, and 2%) and three planting depths (1, 2, and 3 cm) were tested in a factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences for the evaluated traits between planting depths. Salinity levels significantly affected stem length and leaf number at the 5% level. Maximum stem length and leaf number were observed at 1 and 2 cm depths, with the least growth at 3 cm depth. Increased planting depth resulted in longer germination periods. Salinity adversely affected all traits except germination days. Higher sodium chloride concentrations decreased stem length and leaf number after 12 days. Significant positive correlations were found between stem length and leaf number after 12 days, while increased days to emergence correlated negatively with shoot length. A significant linear regression was found between days to emergence and leaf number (y = 5.91 - 0.267x). Quadratic regression showed a significant relationship between stem length and leaf number (y = -0.956 + 3.753x - 0.236x^2), indicating an initial increase in stem length with leaf number, followed by a decrease.