The effect of hydropriming and halopriming on seed germination and early growth of maize seedling hybrid SC704 cultivar under drought and salinity tension

This research was conducted in order to investigate the effective factors on germination, growth and seedling establishment of maize seedling hybrid SC704 cultivar under salinity and drought tension conditions and determine the best priming treatment in tension conditions at Safi-Abad Agriculture Research Center of Dezful in summer 2010. This research was performed as a factorial experiment basis on completely randomized design with three replications in two parts lab and pot. The first factor including three levels of priming (control, potassium nitrite and distilled water), the second factor including two levels of osmotic solutions (NACL and PEG) and the third factor including five levels of osmotic potentials (0,-0/3, -0/6,-0/9 and -1/2 MPa). In this research some related indices to seed germination such as germination percentage, length, fresh and dry weight of root and shoot and mean required time for germination were measured. Results indicated germination delay in both solutions of NACL and PEG. Priming treatment and tension conditions affected germination percentage and other germination indices as well, and had significant difference. In lab conditions, seeds were germinated at all concentrations of NACL solution, but no germination was observed at -1/2 MGa caused by PEG treatment. Seed priming increased germination and seedlings growth under salinity and drought tensions. According to the observed results, in lab conditions, halopriming treatment and in greenhouse hydropriming treatment, were the best and the most effective treatments.