Effect of NaCl Priming on Seed Germination of Tunisian Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) Under Salinity Conditions

Abstract

Salinity is one major problem of increasing production in crop growing areas throughout the world. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of NaCl priming on seed germination of Tunisian fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) under salinity conditions. Seeds of fenugreek were primed with NaCl (4g/l) for 36 h in continuous 25°C. Experimental factors were included 2 priming treatments (NaCl and non-priming as control) and five salinity solution (4,6,8,10 and 12 gl-1). Results showed that seed priming increased final germination percentage, germination speed and radicle length over the non-primed treatment. At the lowest levels of salinity, there were no notable differences between primed and non-primed seeds, but with increasing salinity levels, primed seeds showed the better performance than non-primed seeds. These results indicated that NaCl priming significantly improved seed performance under salinity conditions