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Abstract (in English)
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of salinity stress on germination and early seedling growth of local faba bean seeds from Badakhshan Province in 2025 at the laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture, Kabul University. The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications and three salinity levels. Data were collected on germination percentage, radicle length, plumule length, fresh weight, and dry weight. The results indicated that salinity had no significant effect on germination percentage (p > 0.05), but significantly reduced radicle and plumule growth (p < 0.05), which was almost inhibited at higher salinity levels. Fresh and dry weights showed no significant differences among treatments. These findings suggest that although faba bean seeds can germinate under saline conditions, seedling growth is severely affected. Therefore, germination percentage alone may not be a reliable indicator of salt tolerance. The use of radicle and plumule growth parameters is recommended as more sensitive indices for assessing salinity tolerance.