Itanna Fisseha (PhD)Geressu Kinfemichael2018-07-182023-11-092018-07-182023-11-092005-07http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/9265Fifteen low land tef genotypes ( 10 accessions and 5 varieties) were tested during germination and later growth stages at OdS /m ( control ), 2dS/m, 4dS/m, 8dS/m, 12dS/m and 16dS /m and data analysis iras carried out using SAS package ( SAS version 8.2, 2001 ). During germination and during later growth stages 3 and 14 characters were measured respectively and data analysis showed significant variation among most parameters recorded during each growth stage for accessions and varieties ( P<0.01 ) as well as for treatments ( P <0.001 ). Germination rate and seedling root length were more salt affected than final germination percentage and seedling shoot length respectively. The main cause for reduced and delayed germination percentage was osmotic effect even if specific ion effect played a minor role. During growth experiment; plant height during heading ( PHDH ), flag leaf length ( FLL ), days to maturity ( DTM ), root dry weight ( RDW ), main panicle dry weight ( MPDW ) and gain yield per main panicle ( GY/MP ) were more salt affected than other plant characters, especially the last two. Unlike the case in germination, most accessions and varieties failed to germinate and grow on 12dS/m and 16dS/m salinity levels. It demonstrates that tef is more salt sensitive during late growth stage than during germination. Varieties such as DZ -01-1281, DZ -Cr-358 and accession 236512 during germination, and accessions 55017, 23651,212611, varieties DZ -01 - 1281, DZ-Cr-358, and accession 231217 during later growth stages were salt sensitive respectively. On the other hand, accessions like 237186, 237131, 212928, and variety DZ-Cr -37 during germination and accession 237186 , variety DZ-Cr-37 and accession 237131 during later growth stages were salt tolerant orderly. Accessions 237186, 237131 and variety DZ -Cr-37 were able to reconfirm their germination tolerance during later growth and development ; nevertheless, 212928 was not able to do so. Thus in tef, salt tolerance at germination may or may not reappear in later growth stages. Unlike all accessions and varieties, accession 237186 was found to be salt tolerant at the whole plant level except its grain yield per main panicle was not promising . So this genotype has both short -term and long -term agricultural significance. Generally, the study revealed the presence of broad intraspecific genetic variation in tef accessions and varieties for salt tolerance but more in the former. Irrespective of salinity being a growing problem in Ethiopia in general and the Awash valley in particular, only little has been done on crops salt tolerance. Therefore , to alleviate the already existing and the inevitable incoming salinity problem, there should be similar and pro found studies on tef and other crops Key Words/ accessions, germination , growth, NaCl , salinity, Eragrostis tef, varietiesenAccessionsGerminationGrowth NaClSalinityEragrostis tefVarietiesThesis