Vol. 11, Issue 7 (2022)

Author(s):
Jemi Stephen, J Renugadevi, T Eevera, R Saraswathi and K Vanitha

Abstract:
Three rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties, saline tolerant (TNAU Rice TRY 3) and saline sensitive (ADT 56 and ADT 57), were used in the study to assess the effects of seed priming with hematin, an inducer of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), on seed germination and seedling establishment under salt stress condition. The experiment's findings demonstrated that the administration of hematin at various doses (1,3,5,7, and 9 µM) reduced the salt stress-induced impairment of rice seed germination and subsequent seedling growth in a variety of ways. Seed primed with 1 µM hematin showed maximum germination in all three varieties as compared to hydroprimed and unprimed control seeds. It also enhanced speed of germination, seedling length, vigour index, and dry matter production regardless of salt concentrations. It is obvious that seed primed with 1 µM hematin was efficient in reducing the effects of salt stress on rice during germination and seedling establishment, even at elevated salt concentrations.