Treatment of broad bean seeds with algal suspensions to study their effects on certain growth and yield parameters

Abstract

In the present study chlorella vulgaris and Nostoc muscorum were used as priming solutions for broad bean seeds before cultivation. Presoaking caused a significant (p ≤0.05) increase in growth and yield parameters in addition to some metabolites. Treatment with Nostoc muscorum showed highly significant increase in growth parameters, root length (by 30%), shoot length (by 44%), 2fold increase in root fresh weight and 1.5fold fold increase in shoot fresh weight, 67% increase in root dry weight and about 1.6 fold increase in shoot dry weight, also significant increase in photosynthetic pigments, carbohydrates and protein by 52%, 20% and 1.7 fold, respectively, were also recorded.Yield parameters also increased due to algal treatment, the increase was 7% for weight of 100 seeds, 5% for carbohydrates and 32% for protein.Furthermore, algal treatments caused changes in the activity of different antioxidant enzymes (peroxidase and catalase) accompanied with a reduction in lipid peroxidation in the plant