Effect of blue-green and green algae Spirulina, Chlorella, Dunaliella, and minerals on the stimulation of metabolic and biochemical processes of germination in Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss. seeds

Abstract

The effects of some pretreatments including blue-green and green algae and minerals on the induction of me-tabolic and biochemical process of germination were studied in Dracocephalum kotschyi Boiss. seeds. The seeds were pretreated with green algae Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris and Dunaliella bardawil or D. IR-1 (Isolated from Gave-Khooni-salt marsh) and modified Johnson nutrient medium. Dunaliella species belong to salt marshs and waters, hence their medium was prepared by means of 0.6 % NaCl. Spirulina's nutrient medium (NM) included 0.1% NaCl. The activities of α-amylase, ß-amylase, dehydrogenase, content of total sugar, reducing sugars and total protein (all we-re measured after priming) increased in comarsion with control. Treatment without NaCl and the treatment with 0.1 % NaCl caused the highest amount of the parameters mentioned. In the presence of salt (often at 0.6 % NaCl), algae could not improve and increase the parameters. In contrast, in the absence of salt, the positive effects of algae increased. Ge-rmination indices and length of shoots and roots which were measured after sowing the seeds into Petri-dishes, showed some positive effects regarding the pretreatments. Spirulina cells filteration with or without NM (including 0.1% NaCl) caused the highest activities in α-amylase and ß-amylase and the highest amount of total sugar and FGP. Chlorella filt-eration led to the increment of dehydrogenase activity and also the root's lenght. Dunaliella cells filteration in NM (without salt) increased α-amylase and ß-amylase activities and the reducing sugars.

Keywords

• algae
• Dracocephalum
• growth indices
• metabolic processes