The salt adversely affects normal growth and development by the toxic effects of sodium ion (Na+) absorbed from plants. In different plant species, the difference of salt-tolerance degree is related to ion homeostasis, osmolytes biosynthesis, scavenge of harmful operator and water transportation. This intend that salt-tolerance is a quantitative trait controlled by amount of genes. In the previous study, we selected several tolerant cultivars and landraces from over 1,000 barley germplasms which were screened in a high salt (0.4 %, w/w) reclaimed soil. Among the selected germplasms, we selected a salt-tolerant variety from Tunisia (T76) and a salt-susceptible variety Gwandongpi 41 (G41) in germination and early growth stages. In order to develop salt-tolerant segregating population, we performed the development of a new interspecific barley recombinant inbred line population of PB 71 lines deriving from an interspecific cross between Tunisia 76 (T76) and Gwandongpi 41 (G41). The F1 hybrid was progressed by F4 generation. Germination and seedling growth of the F4 generation (a total of 710 lines) were screened for salt-tolerance in 200 mM NaCl solution for 10 days. Ten days after incubation, salt-tolerance was scored on a scale from 1 (sensitive) to 5 (tolerant). In germination screening for evaluation of salt tolerance, the T76 and G41 as parent pants showed all 100 % germination ratio in control or saline conditions. In addition, the whole F4 generations also showed normal germination ratio over 90 % in control condition, while the only 70.42 % of the that showed germination ratio over 90 % in 200 mM NaCl stress condition. The average score of salt tolerance at the seedling stage of parent plants showed that the salt-tolerant cultivar T76 was 5 and the salt-sensitive cultivar G41 was 3 in saline condition. The average score frequency of F4 generations showed that five (7.04 %) among the PB71 lines possessed the highest score 5 and 40 lines possessed the score 3 (26.76 %) and 2 (29.58 %), respectively. This work was supported by grant (KRF-2007-521-F00002) from Korea Research foundation.

Thirty-nine out of eighty-five barley varieties/strains survived until heading stage in the saline experimental field (0.03-0.05~%~;salt) and they were used for pollen study. Light and scanning electron microscopic observations revealed two distinctive types of barley pollens: one transparent and small in size and the other dark and larger. In addition, both types of pollens were stained with Alexander's stain and it was found that the smaller and transparent pollen was cytoplasm-devoid (CD) while the larger pollen was cytoplasm-rich (CR). Sixteen out of 39 barley varieties/lines grown in the saline soil had CR pollens, which were rarely observed in the barley plants grown in the non-saline soil. Moreover, it was observed that salt stress severely reduced seed setting in the varieties having degenerated pollens. These results suggest that salt stress affects the fertility of barley pollen. The sterile pollen was undersized and lack of cytoplasm probably due to abortion. Furthermore, a varietal difference existed in the response of pollen development to salt stress.