Tolerance of faba bean, chickpea and lentil to salinity: accessions' salinity response functions

The productivity of crops irrigated with saline water or grown on salt-affected soils depends on the salt tolerance of the crops, their accessions, and various environmental and cultural conditions such as soil properties, climate and irrigation methods. The level and ability of plants to tolerate salt stress is the most critical information for the successful management of salt-affected agricultural lands and saline irrigation waters. In this paper, responses of three food legume crops (faba bean, chickpea and lentil) to salinity stress were analysed using the threshold-slope linear response function and modified discount function. The response functions are calibrated using the 2009–2010 season data and validated using the 2010–2011 season data from faba bean, chickpea and lentil experiments conducted in Raqqa, Syria. The comparison was also made through SALTMED model predictions. The results of this study show that the salinity response functions and productivity of grain yield are highly variable within the accessions of the same crop. For optimum outcome, practitioners need to consider salinity response functions and also the productivity of different accessions and their response to salinity in relation to the soil and available irrigation water salinity levels