Alleviation of Salinity Stress During Seed Germination and Early Growth Stage in Sweet Pepper by Seed Priming with Acetyl Salicylic Acid

Abstract

To investigate the interaction between salinity stress and seed priming with acetyl salicylic acid on sweet pepper seed germination and early growth, two factorial experiments were carried out during the two seasons 2014 and 2015. A lab experiment involved seed priming in four different concentrations 0.0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 mM of acetyl salicylic acid, the performance of primed seeds was assessed under 4 different salinity levels 0, 30, 60, and 90 mM NaCl. The second experiment was carried out in foam transplanting trays under greenhouse conditions. Primed seeds were irrigated with 0, 30, 60, and 90 mM NaCl solutions. The obtained results showed that salinity reduced germination percentage, delayed germination, and reduced seedling and transplant growth parameters. Nutrients uptake was reduced by salinity increasing. Different concentrations acetyl salicylic acid had relieving effect. Among all concentration 0.3 mM acetyl salicylic acid was the best concentration in most cases.