Seeds of various commercial cultivars of pea
(Pisum sativum L.) obtained from Royal Sluis
(Enkhuizen, The Netherlands), were surfacesterilized
(ethanol, 3 min) and germinated in vermiculite
with 0.5 mM CaS04 for 3 days. Healthy
and vigorous seedlings were selected and grown in
a growth chamber (Conviron PGW-36) in an
aerated nutrient solution [24] for 7 days. The
growth chamber was set to 28/18”C, 80% RH, and
a 16-h photoperiod (203 pmol m-* s-l PAR).
Plants were then transplanted to a similar medium
supplemented with NaCl concentrations of
30-300 mM, and were grown for another 14 days.
Pots containing four plants in 2.5 1 nutrient solution
were arranged in blocks at random, and each
treatment (NaCl level and cultivar) was replicated
four times. All the experiments were repeated three
times in different periods. Plants were harvested
and plant growth was determined by measuring
fresh and dry weight of leaves, fresh weight of
shoots, foliar area (in cm2), and dry and fresh
weight of roots. Statistical analysis of results from
the three different experiments was carried out according
to Duncan’s multiple range test.