The purpose of this study was to establish an efficient method for identifying the salt tolerance of oats （Avena sativa L.） during the germination stage， and to screen our excellent parents for salt-tolerant breeding. Using the petri dish paper germination method， 332 oat germplasms were subjected to a salt stress treatment with 0.80% （136.89 mmol·L^-1） NaCl solution. Eight indicators such as germination potential were measured. The salt tolerance was comprehensively evaluated and classified by combining the weighted membership function method with cluster analysis. Salt stress significantly inhibited all eight measured indicators. Correlation analysis revealed that highly significant positive correlations among these indicators. The 332 germplasms were classified into five salt tolerance grades： 34 highly salt-tolerant， 83 salt-tolerant， 116 moderately salt-tolerant， 51 salt-sensitive， and 48 highly salt-sensitive accessions. Regression analysis identified the salt tolerance index of root length （STI-RL） and the salt tolerance index of bud fresh weight （STI-BFW） as key indicators for evaluating salt tolerance during germination. Based on two-year evaluations， six materials demonstrated stable salt tolerance and can be utilized as parents in salt-tolerant breeding programs. Comparative analysis indicated that a higher proportion of Avena sativa L. accessions exhibited stronger salt tolerance compared to Avena nuda L. accessions. The 34 highly salt-tolerant germplasms provided excellent resources for salt-tolerant breeding and gene mining.

Oats  /  Germination stage  /  Weighted membership function analysis  /  Salt tolerance index