Effect of Salt Stress and Bentonite on the Germination and Proline Content of Vicia faba L. Plant var. ‘Semilla violeta’ and ‘Reine mora’

Salinity is considered the most important abiotic stress, which limits growth and productivity of plants and degrades agricultural soils in arid and semi arid areas. The study was conducted on Vicia faba L. 'Semilla violeta' and ‘Reine mora’. Sowing was carried on plastic pots containing sandy substrates of bentonite 3, 5, 7 and 10% which corresponded salinity doses of NaCl, MgCl2 and MgSO4 20, 40 and 60 mmol L-1, respectively. Saline effect was investigated on germination and proline content. Results showed that the addition of 5% of bentonite improved the germination rate and time. However, the combined effect of salinity and bentonite showed a relatively increase of proline in ‘Reine mora ' than those of 'Semilla violeta'.