Mitigation of Salinity-Induced Damages in Capsicum Annum L. (Sweet Pepper) Seedlings Using Priming Techniques: A Future Perspective of Climate Change in the Region

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is now a consensus that global warming causes climate change and is a worldwide threat, which presents a great challenge for the 21st century. Arid, semiarid, and tropical regions of the world including Pakistan, where climate change is enhancing salinization and is restricting plant growth and production by reducing nutrient uptake and increasing osmotic stresses. Keeping in view all these interlinked predicted climatic change, present study was aimed to determine the effect of osmopriming with Polyethylene glycol (PEG-4000) for osmotic potential (Ψs = −0.2MPa), hydropriming, thermopriming on cultivars of Capsicum annuum L. analyzing germination indices, physiological and biochemical attributes under induced salinity stress of 60 mM and 80 mM sodium chloride chosen from deleterious effect of these concentrations in preliminary screening experiment. Results indicated highest tolerance in the osmoprimed seeds (PEG-4000) to lower salt stress significantly at p < .001 based on chlorophyll “a” (chlo “a”), chlorophyll “a” and “b” ratio (chlo a/b ratio), total chlorophyll content (TCC) and carotenoid content (CC) resulting less deterioration of photosynthetic pigments whereas; maximum total proline content (TPC) (p < .001), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) at p = .01) and ascorbate peroxidase (APOX) at p < .05 in hydroprimed seeds reflecting the ability of selected cultivars to resist oxidations. It is concluded that high salinity altered many metabolic processes due to high osmotic potential inside the cell which is considered an alarming situation for the forthcoming climate change in Pakistan and required climate-smart agriculture to lower the negative impact forthcoming salinization, before it might affect global crop production drastically.