The effect of sodium chloride salinity on coated and uncoated alfalfa seeds germination

Abstract

In this study, a pod experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of sodium chloride salinity on germination of coated and uncoated seeds of alfalfa seeds under controlled greenhouse conditions at Konya in May 2013. The experimental design was a split-split plot with salinity treatments as main plots, coated and uncoated seeds subplots. Pots were irrigated with tap water (0.3 dS m-1) or (3.0, 6.0 or 9.0 dS m-1). As result of study, seed germination was significantly affected by irrigation water salinity at the initial stage of germination. For coated and uncoated seed, the final seed germination exceeded 79.00% except at the salt concentrations higher than 3.0 dSm-1 where germination percentage statically decreased down. The highest germination rate index (GRI, 14.29%), germination index (GI, 998.75), and coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG, 16.97) values were obtained from the coated seeds irrigated with the tap water while the lowest GRI (1.79%), GI (138.75), and CVG (12.57) values were obtained from the uncoated seeds irrigated with salt concentration of electrical conductivity (EC) of 12.0 dS m-1. Earlier germinations were recorded for coated seeds as indicated by lower value of mean germination time (MGT) and time of 50% germination (T50).