| Abstrakt: |
The rapid flowering of bedding flowers, such as petunia (Petunia hybrida L.) and zinnia (Zinnia elegans L.), increases the uniformity of the seedbed and their simultaneous flowering. In this study, the effect of seed priming on the germination and vigor of petunia and zinnia seedlings has been investigated. A factorial experiment was conducted in the form of a completely randomized design with two factors, the first factor, the plant species, and the second factor, three salts of potassium nitrate, calcium chloride, and sodium chloride along with control in the laboratory of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Al-Qasim-ul-Akhra University of Babol, Iraq. The results showed that in both plants, halopriming treatment with 50 mM potassium nitrate and calcium chloride for 24 hours provided better results in terms of germination and seedling growth. Between the two treatments of potassium nitrate and calcium chloride, there was no significant difference in the characteristics of time to reach 50% germination, average germination time, germination index, final germination, and wet and dry weight of roots and shoots of petunia and dry weight of zinnia shoots. In general, the findings of this study will be important in understanding the direct physiological effect of halopriming in increasing seed germination and seedling establishment in petunia and zinnia and can provide detailed information about the potential effectiveness of priming with potassium nitrate and calcium chloride to the seed industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
