Effect Of Seed Priming On Germination And Seedling Growth Of Rice (Oryza Sativa) Under Osmotic Stress

Abstract

One of the prevalent stresses that affects plant growth and development, including crop reductions that are significant all over the world, is drought. One of the most important and complicated physiological processes in a plant's life cycle is seed germination, which is sometimes hampered by environmental and biological stress and results in inconsistent germination. Priming is a classic technique typically employed for synchronized seedling growth and stable crop stand, but priming has emerged as a powerful tool for sustainable agriculture in recent years. In this experiment, the efficacy of seed priming was tested. Seven rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties were tested for osmotic tolerance and seed priming was done to analyze the increased resilience of primed seeds for osmotic stress. Varying polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations (0%, 10%, and 20%) were used to induce osmotic stress in plants. The maximum germination percentage after stress imposition were reported in ADT-39 and ADT-45 compared to the other varieties, and a dramatic decline in germination percentage and increased proline content was seen in the BPT-5204 variety in both primed and non-primed seeds. In all the varieties, osmotic stress induced a decline in seedling growth as measured by shoot and root length, fresh weight, and dry weight. ADT-39 was the most resilient variety exhibiting maximum tolerance to osmotic stress. Along with the increase in PEG concentration, the total amounts of chlorophyll and proline decreased. At each concentration of PEG, the ADT-39 had retained the maximum chlorophyll content. According to the finding of the study ADT-39 is identified as a drought tolerant cultivar exhibiting maximum tolerance at germination stage. Priming technique can be combined with directed seeded sowing practice especially for drought prone areas.