Abstract

The alleviation of abiotic stresses such as salinity, is one of the most important challenges to respond to the increased food demand of the growing world population and to ensure sustainable agriculture.
This work aimed to investigate the interaction effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) and basalt powder “Farina di Basalto®” (FdB) on germination and early seedling growth parameters of Lupinus albus L. Combined treatments were evaluated, by applying four NaCl concentrations (0, 75, 150, 300 mM) on lupine seeds that were previously coated by five FdB levels (0%, 1%, 3%,5% et 10%). 
Analysis of variance showed that salinity had a significant negative effect on germination percentage and the studied parameters during the juvenile stage (p<0.05). This effect depended on the different NaCl levels compared to the control. The Basalt treatment showed a positive effect on growth parameters. Results revealed that in comparison with control, different concentrations of FdB stimulated hypocotyl elongation to reach the higher increase by 131% under 150 mM NaCl with 10% of FdB. In addition, Basalt in combination with salt stress have a significant effect on the salinity tolerance index and revealed the best results in salinity resistance in the presence of 10% of Basalt Powder.