Effect of seed priming on growth and physiological responses of chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) under salinity stress

Abstract

Increasing soil salinity in some agricultural areas due to global climate change is an obstacle in horticultural crop cultivation. Chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens L.) is an important horticultural crop that has high economic values but the extensive cultivation in saline land can reduce yields. Plant tolerance must be increased to be able to adapt in salinity stress conditions. One method that can be used is seed priming, which is pre-soaking the seeds to increase germination under unfavourable conditions. This study aimed to determine the effect of seed osmopriming using PEG 6000 on growth and physiological responses of chili pepper under salinity stress. The experimental design of this study included two factors: concentration of PEG 6000 (0, 12.5 and 25%) and salinity stress of 0, 2000, and 4000 ppm of NaCl. The observed parameters were 1) germination (percentage and rate of germination, germination synchronization); 2) growth (plant height; root length; dry weight of roots and shoot, number of fruits, fruit weight and capsaicin level); 3) physiological analysis (chlorophyll and proline levels). Seed osmopriming with 25% of PEG 6000 increased germination and plant growth of chili pepper under salinity stress conditions. Chlorophyll level increased while proline and capsaicin level decreased on osmopriming with 25% of PEG 6000. By studying the growth and physiological responses of chili pepper under salinity stress, the role of osmopriming in reducing the harmful effects of salinity stress can be determined.

Assessing the Climate Adaptive Potential of Imported Chili in Comparison with Local Cultivars through Germination Performance Analysis

“…Genetic variances, seed coat thickness, and internal porosity may all contribute to the variability in water absorption across cultivars. Their internal porosity can in uence the water absorption index in seeds [15]. A higher water absorption index cultivar may have improved permeability or structural characteristics that enable effective water uptake [11].…”

Enhancing Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Resilience: Unveiling the Role of Halopriming against Saltwater Stress

“…Data from the literature on the synthesis of proline in stress conditions are controversial. For example, an increase in proline has been observed in many studies on primed plants exposed to stress [29,71,72,79]; vice versa, some authors [80,81] found no change in the production of this osmolyte in stressed plants. In our study, no proline accumulation was observed in the primed stressed plants.…”