Mehdi Hosseinifarahi; Habib Alah Moazen; Azam Amiri; Mohammad Mahdi Jowkar; Javad Mottaghipisheh
Abstract
Seed priming is an established approach to the aim of accelerating germination and increasing germination percentage, which can be followed by high-quality seedlings and optimal plant growth. Culture media can influence the growth and nutritional status of seedlings at the nursery stage. In order to ...
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Seed priming is an established approach to the aim of accelerating germination and increasing germination percentage, which can be followed by high-quality seedlings and optimal plant growth. Culture media can influence the growth and nutritional status of seedlings at the nursery stage. In order to study the impact of seed priming and culture medium on germination performance and seedling growth, two separate laboratory and greenhouse experiments were planned in which the seeds and seedlings of sweet pepper and eggplant were subjected to various chemicals (i.e. growth regulators and nutrients) in the culture media. The results showed that the chemicals had a significant effect on seed priming by improving seed germination and root length in both plants. While putrescine improved seed germination, the highest germination percentage and root growth of both plants were observed in the salicylic acid treatment. Seed priming by humic acid was more effective than ZnSO4 and KNO3 in encouraging seed germination. The application of peat moss (solely or in combination with other culture media such as cocopeat and perlite) improved the growth parameters and nutritional status of commercially ready seedlings. The highest shoot weight (fresh and dry) in both plants were observed in seedlings grown on peat moss. Apart from improvements in vegetative features, peat moss enhanced the uptake and accumulation of nutrients such as N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, compared to cocopeat and perlite. In general, the results indicated that salicylic acid was the best priming treatment and peat moss was the best culture medium for the commercial production of eggplant and sweet pepper seedlings.AbbreviationsC: Cocopeat, Pe: Perlite, PM: Peat moss, P: Phosphorus, N: Nitrogen, Mg: Magnesium, K: Potassium, Ca: Calcium, SA: Salicylic acid, HA: Humic acid, GP: Germination percentage, Put: Putrescine, KNO3: Potassium nitrate, ZnSO₄: Zinc sulfate, DW: Distilled water, PAs:
Shiva Zaferanchi; Saeid Zehtab Salmasi; Seyed Yahya Salehi Lisar; Mohammad Reza Sarikhani
Abstract
The present study was carried out to investigate biochemical responses of marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) to Bio-organic fertilizers. Effects of co-inoculation of two plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) (Azotobacter sp.145PI and Azospirillum sp.AC49I), humic acid (HA) (10 kg ha−1), ...
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The present study was carried out to investigate biochemical responses of marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) to Bio-organic fertilizers. Effects of co-inoculation of two plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) (Azotobacter sp.145PI and Azospirillum sp.AC49I), humic acid (HA) (10 kg ha−1), vermicompost (VC) (7 T ha−1) and combinations of these treatments were evaluated in two marigold cultivars [Isfahan double flower (DF) and single flower (SF)]. The biosynthesis of leaf protein, soluble and insoluble carbohydrate contents were increased in treated plants, while total free amino acid content was not influenced by treatments. Fertilizers also had positive impact on leaf and flower pigments, total flavonoid content, and total phenolic contents. Maximum amounts of anthocyanins were obtained in the DF cultivar treated by VC+PGPR and VC, which were 11.414 and 11.192 µmol g-1 FW, respectively. The SF cultivar treated by PGPR (36.11 %) and also the same cultivar treated by VC (33.39 %) had the highest antioxidant activities. In general, simultaneous application of fertilizers and also vermicompost were recognized as the best treatment for marigold plants. In conclusion, the findings of the current study confirmed that chemical composition and antioxidant activity of marigold can be positively influenced by Bio-organic fertilizers; therefore they can be used to obtain medicinal plants with improved quality during sustainable agricultural practices.
