eng Enviro Research Publishers Current Agriculture Research Journal 2347-4688 2321-9971 2025-04-30 13 1 252 260 24349 article Muhammad Abdus Sobahan 1 Nasima Akter 2 School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bangladesh Open University, Gazipur, Bangladesh Division of Agronomy, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh Salinity stress affects rice growth and yield by impairing physiological processes in coastal and irrigated areas. This study investigates on physiological and agronomical parameters in two rice varieties BRRI dhan97 (salt-tolerant) and BRRI dhan100 (salt-sensitive) differing in their salt tolerance to 80 mM NaCl solution. The results revealed that the dry weight of BRRI dhan 97 was not significantly altered by salt stress, whereas salt-sensitive BRRI dhan100 significantly decreased. Regarding photosynthetic pigments, salt-sensitive BRRI dhan100 degraded more Chl a (55.55%), Chl b (44.84%), Chl a+b (52.16%) and carotenoid (17.15%) than the BRRI dhan97 under salt stress. Salinity significantly reduced relative water content in BRRI dhan100 but did not affect in BRRI dhan97. The leaf proline concentration is higher in BRRI dhan100 (86.82µg g^-1 FW) than BRRI dhan97 (82.01µg g^-1 FW) in saline condition. The shoot Na⁺ concentration in BRRI dhan97 (760 ppm) was less than that of BRRI dhan100 (960 ppm), whereas Na⁺/K⁺ ratio was significantly higher in BRRI dhan100 than in BRRI dhan97. The findings of this research primarily highlight the physiological differences, including photosynthetic efficiency, osmotic activity, and ionic stress resistance between two cultivars. This comprehensive study might help farming communities in determining salt-resistant cultivars at salinity-affected areas. https://www.agriculturejournal.org/volume13number1/comparative-physiological-and-agronomical-traits-of-rice-varieties-differing-in-salt-tolerance/ Growth; Na⁺/K⁺ ratio; Photosynthetic pigments; Proline; Rice; Salt stress; Yield