Water Stress Induced by Mannitol in Sesame Cultivars

Abstract

Plants are subject to a range of stressors, which can lead to structural damage and altered physiological performance. One of the environmental conditions that reduce plant growth and production is water stress. The current study aims to investigate the effects of mannitol-induced water stress on seed germination and seedling growth in sesame cultivars.Seeds of two sesame cultivars (GT-10 and JTS-8) were subjected to different water stresses induced by mannitol. Mannitol inhibited seedling germination and growth through limiting water content in a concentration-dependent manner. With an increase in mannitol content, both varieties’ seed germination and seedling growth dropped. However, under the stress of 0.5 M mannitol concentration, the seedling growth has been demonstrated to be greater in JTS-8.The results revealed that JTS-8 shows more tolerance in different mannitol concentrations than that of GT-10 due to higher osmotic adjustment ability.