Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> Salinity severely constrains wheat ( <italic>Triticum aestivum</italic> L.) productivity in coastal Bangladesh. A split-split plot field experiment at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka (November 2017–March 2018) evaluated three varieties (ESWYT 5, ESWYT 6, BARI Gom 28), three NaCl-imposed salinity levels (0, 10, and 15 dS m⁻¹), and three seed priming treatments (no priming; 5% PEG-6000; 2% mannitol). Salinity at 15 dS m⁻¹ reduced grain yield by 29%, filled grains spike⁻¹ by 45%, 1000-seed weight by 17%, and soil available phosphorus by 40% relative to the non-saline control. ESWYT 5 consistently outperformed BARI Gom 28 across all growth, yield, and nutrient parameters. Osmopriming with 5% PEG-6000 increased grain yield by 118% over unprimed controls at 15 dS m⁻¹ (S2P1: 4.572 vs. S2P0: 2.100 t ha⁻¹) and improved post-harvest soil organic carbon and available phosphorus. The S×P combination S0P1 achieved the highest grain yield (5.448 t ha⁻¹), while V3×S2×P0 recorded the minimum (1.430 t ha⁻¹). Integrating a salt-tolerant genotype with PEG-6000 osmopriming constitutes a practical, low-cost strategy for sustaining wheat productivity in salt-affected agroecosystems. </p>