Vol. 7, Issue 11, Part G (2025)

Soil salinity is a formidable barrier to global food security, devastating crop productivity and destabilizing agricultural systems. Plants are usually sensitive to high salinity due to which crops cultivated in saline regions perish, resulting in significant yield losses. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is generally thought to be salt tolerant; it offers a different crop option in areas affected by salt. Microalgal extracts are a rich source of naturally occurring bioactive compounds and nutrition that can help plants to thrive in suboptimal conditions such as saline environments. Hence the aim of the current study is to specifically assess their effect of algal extract on improving the salt tolerance level in pearl millet. In the initial preliminary study, several concentrations of algal extracts (0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75%) were used, and their effects on the germination rate and growth of pearl millet against varying salt concentrations (50mM to 300mM) were observed. Further research was conducted utilizing the 0.25% concentration of algal extracts since this concentration showed the highest germination rate. At a salt concentration of 175 mM, optimal germination was noted. Thus, the current study finds that the algal extract increases the growth and seed germination rate of Pearl millet under salinity stress.