Pre-germination treatments of melon seeds for the production of seedlings irrigated with biosaline water

Abstract

Melon production in the Brazilian semi-arid region is subject to the use of marginal waters with high salinity. However, the use of regulators and bioactivators in seed treatment can mitigate the harmful effects of salts in irrigation water. In this context, the objective was to evaluate the effect of pre-germination treatments with plant regulators and bioactivator in melon seeds for the production of seedlings irrigated with biosaline water from fish farming effluent. For this, two trials with the Goldex and Grand Prix hybrids were carried out separately. A completely randomized design was used in a 4 × 3 factorial scheme (pre-germination treatments × water dilutions). In addition to the control, the seeds were treated with salicylic and gibberellic acids and thiamethoxam. The waters used for irrigation were local-supply water, fish farming effluent (biosaline water) and these diluted to 50%. Physiological and biochemical analyses were performed for fourteen days. Biosaline water (5.0 dS m-1) did not affect the emergence of Goldex melon seedlings, but compromised the establishment of the Grand Prix cultivar. Seed pre-treatments with salicylic and gibberellic acids attenuate the effects of water salinity and promote growth modulations, resulting in more vigorous melon seedlings.

Seed osmopriming with salicylic acid on induction of tolerance of Cenostigma pyramidale to water deficit

“…Osmopriming with salicylic acid improves the capacity of the seeds to germinate, increasing tolerance to induced water deficit. Salicylic acid is a compound that acts in the plant defense system, through signaling and activation of genes and modulation of enzymes involved in biochemical and physiological processes, such as in seed germination (Silva et al, 2018;Silva et al, 2024).…”

“…Nóbrega et al (2021b) found that priming with a concentration of 1.71 mM of SA attenuated the harmful effect of water stress on germination of Cereus jamacaru. Silva et al (2024) pointed out that the treatment of Cucumis melo seeds with 50 µM of SA mitigated the effect of salt stress on germination and seedling emergence.…”

Use of hydrogen peroxide in acclimatization of melon to salinity of irrigation water

“…Melon (Cucumis melo L.) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is an olericultural crop cultivated in several regions of the world, owing to its wide adaptability and high socioeconomic expression (Kesh & Kaushik, 2021). Brazil is prominent in the export of this species, with the northeast region responsible for more than half of the national production (Silva et al, 2024).…”