ENHANCEMENT OF SALT TOLERANCE CAPABILITY IN WHEAT THROUGH MAGIC GROWTH AND HYDROPRIMING

Abstract

The experiment was conducted under the laboratory conditions of the Department of Agronomy, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka from October 2020 to December 2020 to investigate the enhancement of salt tolerant capability in wheat through magic growth and hydropriming. In the 1 st experiment seeds of wheat (BARI Gom30 ) were surface sterilized with 75% alcohol for 5 minutes. Wheat seeds were then pre-soaked in 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2% magic growth solution and distilled water for 9 hours and untreated seeds were used as control treatment. Results showed that seed priming induces the germination percentage, growth parameters (shoot and root fresh weight, shoot and root length, shoot and root dry weight and vigour index) and water relation behaviours (relative water content, water retention capacity, water saturation deficit) of wheat. The highest germination percentage (81.94%), shoot and root length (193.00 mm and 192.25 mm, respectively), shoot and root fresh weight (121.20 and 120.45 mg, respectively), shoot and root dry weight (22.55 and 19.65 mg, respectively), vigour index (315.67), water retention capacity (11.38%), relative water content (92.06%) were obtained from seeds treated with 0.5% magic growth and then gradually decrease with increasing magic growth concentration. Highest water saturation deficit (16.25%) was obtained from 1.5%% magic growth and the lowest was obtained from seeds treated with 0.5% magic growth. In 2 nd experiment primed (0.5% magic growth for 9 hours), hydro primed (distilled water for 9 hours) and non-primed seeds were placed under salinity stress condition induced by 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 dSm -1 NaCl solution. Seeds treated with 0.5% magic growth showed better result regarding germination percentage, shoot and root length, shoot and root dry weight, relative water content, water retention capacity compared to hydro priming and control (non-primed) treatment and this value decreased with increasing concentrations of NaCl solution. Hydro priming also showed better result than non-primed seeds but not better than 0.5% magic growth priming solution. The result suggested that seeds primed with 0.5% magic growth for 9 hours considered as best priming concentration and next to hydropriming for salt tolerant capability in wheat.