Effect of salicylic acid on germination and some seed characteristics of borage (Borago officinalis L.) under salinity stress

Medicinal plants are widely used in traditional and modern industrial medicine. For this purpose, the effect of salicylic acid pre-treatment on germination and some seed characteristics of borage (Borago officinalis L.), under salinity stress carried out as factorial in a randomized complete blocks design with three levels of salicylic acid (500, 1000 and 1500 mM) and salinity stress (50, 100 and 150 mM). Measured traits included root and stem length, seed germination energy, seed vigor, proline content in root and stem, germination rate and final germination percentage. According to the results, the effect of salicylic acid under salinity stress showed significant effect on studied traits. Increased salinity caused decrease in seed and germination indices. In general, application of salicylic acid as a seed pre-treatment improved growth and germination.