The genetic parameters for agronomic, root quality and physiological traits were estimated using North Carolina II design. Genetic materials included diploid pollinator populations and diploid male sterile lines differing in tolerance to salinity stress. Parents and F 1 hybrids were studied under salinity stress and normal field conditions using lattice design with two replications. The genetic diversity of 14 individual plants within 12 parents was also assessed using 18 microsatellite (SSR) markers. Results of analysis of variance indicated a high and significant variability among studied genotypes for most traits in both stress and non-stress conditions. Salinity caused significant reduction in Ca 2+ , K + , Na + , Ca 2+ / Na + , K + / Na + in leaf, WUE and root-yield related traits. The results of genetic analyses showed that non-additive gene actions had greater effects on the inheritance of physiological and yield traits under both conditions. Broad and narrow-sense heritability estimates for root yield were accounted for 50 and 7% in stress as well as 30 and 19% in non-stress conditions, respectively. The base population, 7233-P.29, with high root yield and GCA was introduced as superior pollinator parent. SSR analysis revealed a total of 104 alleles with an average number of 5.7 alleles per primer pair and average polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.64 with the highest PIC belonging to EST-SSR FDSB502 . Cluster analysis based on SSR markers clearly discriminated 112 plants belonging to pollen parents from 56 plants of seed parents. Key words: North Carolina ?? (NC2), Gene actions, Salinity stress, Sugar beet,, SSR markers
