Open Access

ARTICLE

Seed Priming with MgCl₂, CaCl₂, and ZnCl₂ as a Biofortification Based-Approach Induces Changes in Anise Seedlings Emergence

Sibel Day^*, Nilüfer Koçak-Şahin

Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Ankara University, Ankara, 06110, Türkiye

* Corresponding Author: Sibel Day. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Role of Biostimulants in the Alleviation of Biotic and Abiotic Stress)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2023, 92(8), 2461-2471. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2023.029920

Received 16 March 2023; Accepted 05 May 2023; Issue published 25 June 2023

Abstract

Aromatic and medicinal plant species having small seeds have field emergence problems due to low nutrient supply. Therefore, Pimpinella anisum seeds were hydro and osmoprimed with 100 mM MgCl₂, CaCl₂, and ZnCl₂, for 2, 4, and 8 h each to compare their growth attributes during germination and seedling establishment stages. Nontreated seeds were used as control. Both hydro and osmo primed seeds were dried for 48 h before, they were sown in plastic trays in growth room conditions to see the impact of treatments on seedling emergence and growth. The maximum root length (12.90 cm), fresh weight (256.30 mg plant⁻¹), and mean emergence time (MET) were recorded from 8 h MgCl₂ primed seeds. Similarly, the maximum (97.50, and 98.00%) emergence percentage was observed using 8 h MgCl₂ primed seeds and nontreated seeds (control treatment). The evaluation of parameters like chlorophyll contents and electrical conductivity showed the 8 h MgCl₂ priming as the optimum treatment. The evaluation of parameters like chlorophyll contents and electrical conductivity showed the 8 h MgCl₂ priming as the optimum treatment. The result suggests MgCl₂ priming worked synergistically and improved seedling growth attributes under greenhouse conditions. The chlorophyll content ranged 25.94–35.69 SPAD unit. The highest chlorophyll content was obtained from the seedlings obtained from 4 h CaCl₂ treatment, which were statistically similar to the chlorophyll contents of the seedlings obtained after 8 h MgCl₂ treatment and nontreated seeds (control treatment). All other treatments showed inhibition in the chlorophyll contents and growth attributes of the seedlings. In conclusion, MgCl₂ osmopriming treatments were significantly promotive and better compared to hydro-priming and osmopriming treatments including control treatment in terms of anise seeds germination and emergence.

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