Seed Priming with Mg(NO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> and ZnSO<sub>4</sub> Salts Triggers the Germination and Growth Attributes Synergistically in Wheat Varieties
Surendra Kumar Choudhary,
Vivek Kumar,
Rajesh Kumar Singhal,
Bandana Bose,
Jyoti Chauhan,
Saud Alamri,
Manzer H. Siddiqui,
Talha Javed,
Rubab Shabbir,
Karthika Rajendran,
Muhammad Aamir Iqbal,
Zahia E. A. Elmetwaly,
Sobhy Sorour,
Ayman EL. Sabagh
Affiliations
Surendra Kumar Choudhary
Seed Priming Laboratory, Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Vivek Kumar
Seed Priming Laboratory, Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Rajesh Kumar Singhal
ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi 284003, India
Bandana Bose
Seed Priming Laboratory, Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Jyoti Chauhan
Seed Priming Laboratory, Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
Saud Alamri
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 2455, Saudi Arabia
Manzer H. Siddiqui
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 2455, Saudi Arabia
Talha Javed
College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Rubab Shabbir
College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Karthika Rajendran
Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (Ph.D.), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5064, Australia
Muhammad Aamir Iqbal
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Poonch Rawalakot, Rawalakot 12350, Pakistan
Zahia E. A. Elmetwaly
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh 33516, Egypt
Sobhy Sorour
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh 33516, Egypt
Ayman EL. Sabagh
Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh 33516, Egypt
An experiment was conducted in both laboratory (germinative attributes) and field conditions (growth attributes) with completely randomized design (CRD) and randomized block design, respectively, to view the responses of different priming treatments in two wheat varieties: HUW-234 (V1) and BHU-3(V2). In the present study, seeds were primed with water (hydro; T2), Mg (NO3)2 (T3), ZnSO4 (T4), and a combination of both salts (T5). Their carry over effects were observed on the germinative and vegetative phases of growth. All treatments were compared with the performance of nonprimed control seeds (T1). Maximum germination percentage (98.33, 100%) was noted with T3, whereas length of shoot (8.83, 10.23 cm) and root (9.47, 10.73 cm) and their fresh (0.34, 0.45 g) and dry weights (0.05, 0.07 g) were recorded maximum in T5 for both varieties; however, the vigor index I and II showed varietal difference, but primed sets were found always superior with respect to nonprimed control. Study of plant height, leaf number and area, fresh and dry weights of total leaves and stem showed the best performance under combined use of both salts, i.e., Mg (NO3)2 and ZnSO4 as priming agents, followed by ZnSO4, Mg (NO3)2, hydro, and the nonprimed one. The study of biochemical parameters such as protein content and nitrate reductase activity of leaves showed the highest increment in combined priming treatment and increased 63.77, 90.37, 37.44% and 12.81, 5.61, 7.75%, respectively, after 35, 45, and 60 days after sowing. It is likely that chlorophyll, nitrogen, iron, and zinc content also followed a similar pattern and were enhanced in combined priming treatments as compared to nonpriming treatment. Therefore, the result suggests that priming seeds with Mg (NO3)2 and ZnSO4 worked synergistically at varietal level and improved growth attributes at field conditions.
