IMPROVEMENT OF GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF RICE THROUGH PRIMING UNDER SALT STRESS CONDITION

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the Agronomy laboratory of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207 during the period from July, 2013 to December, 2013 to improve germination and seedling growth of rice through seed priming under salt stress condition. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five replications. BRRI dhan28 (V1, salt sensitive) and BRRI dhan47 (V2, salt tolerant) were used in this experiment. The treatments comprised five levels of salt concentration (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl) and priming times (6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 hr). Results revealed that germination percentage (GP) 97.75%, germination index (GI) 40.95, seedling length (SL) 143.3 and vigour index (VI) 144.90 were improved by seed priming. Seeds primed with 100 mM NaCl gave the better result compared to non-primed seeds in V1 varieties. Seeds primed with 150 mM NaCl gave the better result in terms of germination behavior and seedling growth compared to untreated control in V2 varieties. Then seeds of V2 was primed in 0, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 hrs with 150 mM NaCl solution and distilled water. Priming time 15 hours showed the best result in V2 varieties when seeds primed with 150 mM NaCl ( GP, GI, SL,VI, SL, RL) compared to water priming and untreated control. Finally V1 primed with water and 100 mM NaCl and V2 primed with distilled water and150 mM NaCl solution for 15hrs. Dry seed used as control and was exposed to 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 mM NaCl induced salt stress conditions in Petri dishes. In both varieties (V1 and V2) when the salt stress was increased at the same time GP, GI, VI and SL was decreased. The highest GP, GI, VI and SL were detected in the treatments of control and lowest GP, GI, VI and SL were detected in the treatments primed with 200 mM NaCl.