Salinity is a major constrain to agricultural production, worldwide. Salinity imposes adverse effects on plant growth and physiological functions, due to ionic and osmotic effects of salty ions. Saline land is expanding in the arid and semi-arid soils of Iran, pending a serious threat to the production of salt-sensitive crop plants such as chickpea. In order to investigate the effect of salinity on growth and physiological functions of two chickpea genotypes, a completly random 5-replicate factorial experiment was conducted in a greenhouse of the Isfahan University of Technalogy in 2015. Two chickpea genotypes (namely Greet and ILC-482) were subjected to 0, 25, 50 and 75 mM of NaCl solution. The 75mM of NaCl led to decrease in chlorophyll a, but genotype ILC-482 indicated greater chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotonoids concentrations (1.24, 0.31 and 0.25 mg g -1 leaf fresh weight, respectively), comoared to Greet. Mean proline concentration of the two genotypes was increased with increase in salt concentration, to the extent that it indicated a 4.5-fold increase at the presence of 75mM of NaCl. The activity of catalase and guiacol peroxidase antioxidative enzymes was upregulated due to salinity, the increase was more notable in genotype ILC-482, compared to Greet. In spite of 48% and 63% decreases in mean shoot and root K + concentration, 4.5-fold and 2-fold increases in mean shoot and root Na + concentration, respectively, were observed. Mean Na + /K + for root and shoot of both genotypes increased with salinity, though these rativs were proven smaller in genotype ILC-482, relative to Greet. Salinity hastened the flowering, poding and physiological maturity of both genotypes, but the extent of the hastening was greater in genotype Greet, than ILC-482. Salinity led to decreases in mean pods/plant, fertile pods/plant, seeds/plant seed weight/plant and K + accumulation, but genotype ILC-482 out-numbered Greet in terms of the above attributes. Even though root and shoot fresh and dry masses of both genotypes decreased due to salinity, but the extent of decreases was smaller in gnotype ILC-482, relative to Greet. Our data indicates that salinity leaves adverse effects on growth, physiological and grain yield attributes of both genotypes, but genotype ILC-482 is capable of withstanding to some degree, moderate salt concentrations due, perhaps, to its greater capacity to increase antioxidative enzymes activities and to maintain the Na + /K + balance. Keywords : Antioxidant enzymes, prolin, salinity, grain yield, chickpea
