1Laboratoire Productions Vegetales, Departement De Production Vegetale, Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassan Badi, 16004, El Harrach, AlgerAlgeria
2Departement Sciences De La Nature Et De La Vie, Faculte Des Sciences, Universite Dr Yahia Fares de Medea, Pole urbain, Medea26000, Algeria
3Laboratoire De Biologie Et De Physiologie Des Organismes, Equipe De Biologie Du Sol, Faculte Des Sciences Biologiques, Universite Des Sciences Et De La Technologie Houari Boumediene, BP 32 El Alia-Bab Ezzouar, 16111-Alger-Algeria
4Department De Chimie, Universite Saad Dahleb, Rue de Soumaa Soumaa, Blida, Algeria
*Corresponding Author: F. Nabi, Laboratoire Productions Vegetales, Departement De Production Vegetale, Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique (ENSA), Avenue Hassan Badi, 16004, El Harrach, Alger, Algeria, Email: fahimanabi@yahoo.fr
Online published on 22 October, 2020.
The study was carried out to assess the effect of seed priming to enhance salt tolerance in Algerian Maghreb Cowpea. Seeds of two cowpea landraces (A18 and TZ2) were soaked for 4 h at 25°C in the dark in distilled water (hydropriming) or 80 mM of NaCl, 80 mM of CaSO4 or 80 mM of CaCl2 (halopriming) separately. Untreated seeds were taken as control (unprimed seeds). Seeds were germinated under three salinity levels (0 (distilled water), 85 mM and 170 mM of NaCl). In general, germination traits of cowpea landraces decreased with increased salinity levels, however, seed priming significantly increased germination percentage, speed of germination, final germination percentage, radical length, hypocotyl length, epicotyl lengh and induced better vigour index under saline and nonsaline conditions as compared to the unprimed seed. Hydropriming, or halopriming with NaCl 80 mM or CaSO4 80 mM proved to be effective methods.
Cowpea, Halopriming, Hydropriming, Salinity tolerance, Vigour index
