Comparison of different seed priming technologies for seed germination and plant growth in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.)

Environmental stress is a significant threat to crop production and quality. The effect of ecological changes, shortage of natural resources, more demand for food, and increased crop production, more attention has turned to improving seed quality and crop plant production through implementing efficient strategies. Seed priming, an innovative technology, has emerged as a pivotal strategy in this pursuit. This research was carried out to determine the effects of hydro-priming and nano-priming on seed germination, α-amylase activity, chlorophyll and MDA content in the sugar beet genotype SG188 (developed by Songül GÜREL). Seeds were soaked in water and in solutions containing different concentrations (5,10, and 15 ppm) of TiO2 NPs for 3,6,9 hours and experiments were repeated three times. As the first step, the seed was primed and stored at 4˚C for 10 and 45 days as a post-priming application. Before sowing seeds, after 10 days of priming, α-amylase activity, chlorophyll and MDA content of seeds were measured in primed seeds and the control. Then, growth and development parameters were checked after 10 days of germination. It showed that the germination rate in the primed-seed group was relatively higher than in the control. Next, Image J software showed that seeds soaked with nanoparticles 5,10,15 ppm for 3 hours had a positive impact and increased root length compared to the control. In the next step, after 45 days of priming, seedlings were analyzed similarly to seedlings after 10 days post-priming in terms of morphology, physiology, and biochemistry by ANOVA. In addition, a comparison of post-priming treatments showed that 45 days post-priming led to a boost of α-amylase enzyme activity compared to 10 days post-priming.