RICE SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT AS INFLUENCED BY CULTIVARS AND SEED PRIMING WITH POTASSIUM NITRATE

Talha  Javed; Muhammad Moaaz  Ali; Rubab  Shabbir; Shaista  Gull; Ahmad  Ali; Ehsan  Khalid; Anam Noreen  Abbas; Mubashir  Tariq; Muqmirah

doi:10.38211/joarps.2020.1.2.10

Authors

Talha Javed College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2986-9992
Muhammad Moaaz Ali 2College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
Rubab Shabbir College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
Shaista Gull Department of Horticulture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 66000, Pakistan
Ahmad Ali College of Agriculture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
Ehsan Khalid National Agricultural Research Council, Pakistan
Anam Noreen Abbas College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
Mubashir Tariq College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China
Muqmirah Hixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38211/joarps.2020.1.2.10

Abstract

Poor crop establishment is one of the major constraints to obtain the higher potential of rice, particularly in areas prone to environmental stresses. Therefore, present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of potassium nitrate on germination dynamics, seedling growth and associated physiological and biochemical events of two rice cultivars. For this purpose, various seed priming treatments were tested in lab and greenhouse. The percent concentrations of potassium nitrate were 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.0 and 1.25 in both lab evaluation and greenhouse experiment. Non-primed seeds were maintained as a control for comparison. The results depicted that soaking rice seeds at higher concentrations of KNO₃ could delay emergence time and final emergence (%) in both cultivars under lab and greenhouse conditions. Seed priming with 0.75% KNO₃ significantly increased the stand establishment and seedling vigor attributes of both cultivars compared with other concentrations and naked rice seeds both in lab evaluation and greenhouse screening. Similarly, highest values for photosynthesis rate, evaporation rate and CO₂ index were observed in experimental units receiving primed seeds with 0.75% KNO₃ under greenhouse screening. Interestingly, no variance was observed among both rice cultivars. Overall, higher seed emergence, seedling vigor and associated biochemical attributes due to seed priming with 0.75% KNO₃was associated with decrease in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDH) activities in lab and greenhouse screening.