Role of priming technique in germination parameters of calendula (Calendula officinalis L.) seeds

摘要

Seed priming is known for its promoting effects on seed and seedling properties under stress conditions such as salinity, temperature and drought stresses. Poor plant stand establishment is a common problem for marigold production. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different seed priming techniques on calendula seed germination and seedling enzyme activity. For this purpose, different seed priming techniques: hydropriming (distilled water, 24 and 72 h), osmopriming (0.02% or 0.04% KNO3 for 24 and 72 h) and hormonal priming (100 or 500 mg L-1 GA3 for 24 and 72 h) were assessed. Seeds without any treatment were considered as control. Compared with control, 100 mg L-1 GA3 and distilled water for 72 h showed the highest promoting effects on germination percentage. The highest vigor index (525.75) was related to hydropriming (for 24 h) treatment. Also, the maximum root length was found with 0.02% KNO3 for 72 h. Catalase significantly increased in the primed seeds. The highest CAT activity and total soluble sugars were found in the seeds primed with 100 mg L-1 GA3 for 72 h. Moreover, the enzyme activity was significantly higher in the distilled water and KNO3 treatments compared with the untreated seeds.