The selection and application of salt tolerance varieties in peanut is impor- tant for the exploitation of saline soil. In this study, 41 peanut varieties were select- ed for the evaluation of salt tolerance in both germination and young seedling stage. The results showed the germination and growth of peanut were significantly inhibited by salt stress, which were enhanced by salt concentration increasing. The 0.5% NaCI was selected as the most suitable concentration for further identification, and the characters in germination stage （including the relative germination potential, relative germination rate and germination index） and young seedling stage （including relative main root length, seedling height, fresh weight, dry weight, et aL） were measured. Cluster analysis showed the varieties could be divided into different groups, and 9 and 3 salt-tolerant varieties were identified in the two stages, respec- tively, including two varieties performed well in both two stages, which could be useful for the breeding of new salt tolerance varieties and the study of salt toler- ance mechanism.
