Screening of wheat genotypes containing suitable candidate genes for salt tolerance is an essential step in stress-breeding. This study aimed to determine genetic variation, and screen salt-tolerant genotypes using morphological and molecular markers as selection criteria. In this study, 44 genotypes of wheat were screened at the seedling stage by hydroponic culture. The treatments included a control (1 dSm⁻¹), and low (9 dSm⁻¹), moderate (12 dSm⁻¹) and high (15 dSm⁻¹) salinity stresses. Moreover, these genotypes were subjected to marker-assisted selection using 15 salt tolerance related gene-linked simple sequence repeats (SSRs). The total salt stress response indices (TSSRI) categorized wheat genotypes into four groups; tolerant, moderately tolerant, moderately susceptible, and susceptible. TSSRI and principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that Akbar was the most salt-tolerant wheat genotype, followed by Barigom-20, Barigom-22, BW-1284, BW-1262, BW-1237, and Barigom-24. It was evident that the growth of most of the genotypes was significantly inhibited by salt treatment. The tolerant genotypes, however, had to face a lower reduction in morphological parameters. The highest value (0.7127) of polymorphism information content (PIC) was shown by the marker Xwmc17. UPGMA dendrogram showed a clear differentiation of 43 wheat genotypes into seven major clusters considering genetic similarity. Cluster-I consisted of twelve genotypes, seven of which were found salt-tolerant, cluster-VI was composed of seven genotypes, of which four emerged as salt-tolerant, and Cluster-VII accommodated three genotypes all of which were tolerant based on TSSRI. On the contrary, seven genotypes in Cluster-II, and five in Cluster-III were found salt-susceptible according to phenotypic assessment at the seedling stage. In conclusion, considering the morphological characterization and molecular markers response, Akbar, Barigom-20, Barigom-22, BW-1284, and BW-1262 are identified as tolerant genotypes. Therefore, these screened genotypes could be utilized as valuable genetic resources in wheat breeding for salinity tolerance research.

筛选含有合适的耐盐候选基因的小麦基因型是胁迫育种的重要步骤。本研究旨在确定遗传变异，并使用形态学和分子标记作为选择标准筛选耐盐基因型。本研究通过水培法在小麦苗期筛选出44个基因型。处理包括对照(1 dSm ^-1 )、低(9 dSm ^-1 )、中(12 dSm ^-1 )和高(15 dSm ^-1) 盐度应力。此外，使用 15 个耐盐相关基因连锁简单序列重复 (SSR) 对这些基因型进行标记辅助选择。总盐胁迫反应指数（TSSRI）将小麦基因型分为四组；耐受性、中度耐受性、中度易感性和易感性。TSSRI 和主成分分析 (PCA) 显示Akbar是最耐盐的小麦基因型，其次是Barigom-20、Barigom-22、BW-1284、BW-1262、BW-1237和Barigom-24. 很明显，盐处理显着抑制了大多数基因型的生长。然而，耐受基因型必须面临形态参数的较低减少。多态性信息含量 (PIC) 的最高值 (0.7127) 由标记 Xwmc17 显示。考虑到遗传相似性，UPGMA 树状图显示 43 种小麦基因型明显分化为 7 个主要簇。Cluster-I 由 12 个基因型组成，其中 7 个耐盐，cluster-VI 由 7 个基因型组成，其中 4 个耐盐，Cluster-VII 包含 3 个基因型，所有这些基因型都基于 TSSRI . 相反，根据幼苗期的表型评估，发现Cluster-II 中的7 个基因型和Cluster-III 中的5 个基因型对盐敏感。综上所述，Akbar、Barigom-20、Barigom-22、BW-1284和 BW-1262被鉴定为耐受基因型。因此，这些筛选出的基因型可作为小麦育种的宝贵遗传资源，用于耐盐性研究。