ABSTRACT

Seed priming is among the promising approaches to enhance plant productivity under salt stress. Plant extracts as seed bio-priming agents are currently drawing attention. To test the potentiality of Echinochloa colona allelopathic aqueous extract (EAAE) to alleviate maize salt stress, maize grains were primed with distilled water (hydroprimed) and EAAE (1% and 3%). In pot experiment, maize developed from both hydroprimed and EAAE primed seeds were grown at different levels of salt stress (0.0, 100 and 200 mM NaCl). Salinity adversely affected maize growth and significantly declined its shoot and root lengths. In response to salt stress, proline (prol), glycine betaine (GB), free amino acids (AA), total phenolics (TPh) and sodium ions (Na+) accumulated in maize leaves, while levels of soluble proteins, total lipids (TL), N and P attenuated. Seed bio-priming with EAAE at lower dose (1%) effectively secured macromolecules and diminished the loss that caused by salinity in soluble proteins and total lipids. Application of 1% EAAE also enhanced the ionic homeostasis and mineral nutrition by increasing K+:Na+ and Ca2+:Na+ ratios and increased total P and N contents, in addition to modulating osmoregulation. Thus, the potentiality to mitigate the inhibitory effects of salt stress recommends EAAE to be applied as seed biopriming agent to enhance salt tolerance of maize. Keywords: Allelopathic potential; Echinochloa; Maize; Salinity; Seed priming
Publication date: 01/08/21

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2021/August/MS_IJBPAS_2021_5597.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2021/10.8.5597