Investigating the Impact of Varying Osmotic Potentials Induced by Salinity on Germination and Early Seedling Growth of Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Subject Areas :

Mohammad Hosein Bijeh Keshavarzi ¹ ( PhD student, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran )
Heshmat Omidi ² ( Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran )
Yousef Filizadeh ³ ( Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran )
Seyed Habib Shojaei ⁴ ( Department of Biotechnology and Plant Breeding, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran )

Received: 2024-07-14 Accepted : 2024-09-25 Published : 2024-09-25

Keywords: Salinity stress, Germination, Basil, Sodium chloride, Medicinal herb,

Abstract :

In modern agriculture, identifying salt-tolerant plants is crucial for efficient utilization of saline water and enhancing productivity. However, plant salt tolerance can vary across different growth stages. Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), an annual herb belonging to the Lamiaceae family, not only imparts an exquisite flavor to our meals but also possesses remarkable medicinal properties and diverse applications. Given the significance of basil and the widespread challenge of soil salinity, a research study was conducted to investigate the effect of salinity stress on germination and seedling characteristics of basil. This experiment was designed as a completely randomized block design with 4 replications in the Agronomy Laboratory. 4 salinity levels (0, 50, 100, and 150 mM) were imposed using sodium chloride salt. All data were analyzed using the SAS software. Mean comparisons were performed using Duncan's test at a 5% probability level. The results demonstrated that soil salinity significantly impacted basil germination and seedling growth. The highest percentage and rate of germination, stem and root length, and fresh and dry weight of seedlings were observed in the control treatment (without salinity). Conversely, the lowest values of these parameters were recorded in the 150 mM salinity treatment. These findings indicate that basil is sensitive to salinity stress, and increasing soil salinity substantially impairs its germination and growth.

References:

Archangi, A. and Khodambashi, M. 2014. The effect of salinity on morphological characteristics, essential oil content and ion accumulation of basil (Ocimum basilicum) under hydroponic conditions. Journal. Science Technology Greenhouse Cultures. 5(17), 125- 138. [In Persian with English summary].
Azarinvand, H. and Javadi, M. R. 2003. The Effect of Water Stress on Seed Germination of Two Agropyron Species. Desert. 8(2), 192-205.
Bajji, M., Kinet, J. M. and Lutts, S. 2002. Osmotic and ionic effects of NaCl on germination, early seedling growth, and ion content of Atriplex halimus (Chenopodiaceae). Canadian Journal of Botany, 80(3), 297-304.
Ben-Gal, A. and Shani, U. 2002. Yield, transpiration and growth of tomatoes under combined excess boron and salinity stress. Plant Soil. 247, 211-221.
Bijeh Keshavarzi, M. H. 2011. Effect of salt stress on germination and early seedling growth of savory (Satureja hortensis). Australian Journal of Basic and Sciences, 5(12), 3274-3279.
Bijeh Keshavarzi, M. H. and Omidi, H. 2023. Effect of salinity stress on germination and seedling characteristics of Artemisia annua L. Seed Research, 13 (1), 77-87.
Bijeh keshavarzi, M. H., Rafsanjani, M. S. O., Moussavinik, S. M. and Lak, A. P. 2011. Effect of salt (NaCl) stress on germination and early seedling growth of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). Annals of Biological Research, 2(4), 490-497.
Boubaker, M. 1996. Salt tolerance of durum wheat cultivars during germination and early seedling growth, agricultura-mediterranea. 126(1), 32-39.
Corwin, D.L. 2021. Climate change impacts on soil salinity in agricultural areas. Eur. J. Soil Sci. 72, 842-862.
Gholinezhad, E. 2014. The Effects of Salinity Stress on Related germination traits of wheat genotypes. Journal of Plant Research (Iranian Journal of Biology), 27(2), 276-287.
Hajghani, M., Saffari, M. and Maghsoudi Moud, A. A. 2008. The Effect of Different Levels of Salinity (NaCl) on Germination and Seedling Growth of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) Cultivars. Journal of Crop Production and Processing. 12(45), 449-458.
Javanmardi, J., Khalighi, A., Kasha, A., Bais, H. P. and Vivanco, J. M. 2002. Chemical characterization of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) found in local accessions and used in traditional medicines in Iran. Journal Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 21, 5878-5883.
Javanmardi, J., Stushnoff, C., Locke, E. and Vivanco, J. M. 2003. Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of Iranian Ocimum accessions. Food Chemistry. 4, 547-550.
Khajeh-Hosseini, M., Powell, A.A. and Bimgham, I.J. 2003. The interaction between salinity stress and seed vigor during germination of soybean seeds. Seed Science and Technology. 31, 715-725.
Khan, M. A., Gul, B. and Weber, D. J. 2002. Effect of temperature, and salinity on the germination of Sarcobatus vermiculatus. Biological Plant. 45, 133-135.
Maas, E. V. 1986. Crop tolerance to saline soil and wathe. Proeus park Bio Saline Res. Work shop. Karachi. Pakistan, 205.
Negrao, S., Schmöckel, S. M. and Tester, M. 2017. Evaluating physiological responses of plants to salinity stress. Annals of botany, 119(1), 1-11.‏
Ozcan, M., Derya, A.M. and Unver, A. 2005. Effect of drying methods on the mineral content of basil (Ocimum basilicum). Journal of Food Engineering. 3, 375-379.
Parihar, P., Singh, S., Singh, V. P. and Prasad, S. M. 2015. Effect of salinity stress on plants and its tolerance strategies: a review. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 22, 4056-4075.
Pessarakli, M. and Fardad, H. 2001. Nitrogen (Total and 15N) Uptake by barley and wheat under tow irrigation regimes J. planutr. 18(12), 2655-2007
Razak, U. N. A. A., Ong, C. B., Yu, T. S. and Lau, L. K. 2014. In vitro micropropagation of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni in Malaysia. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. 57.
Sairam, R. K. and Srivastava, G. C. 2001. Water stress tolerance of wheat Triticum aestivum L.: Variation in hydrogen peroxide accumulation and antioxidant activiy in tolerant and susceptible genotype. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 186, 63-70.
Uçarlı, C. 2020. Effects of salinity on seed germination and early seedling stage. P. 211-232. In Wang, D. Y. Chen. S. Saud. C. Wu. S. Fahad (ed.) Abiotic Stress in Plants. Springer.
Zeng, J., Chen, A., Li, D., Yi, B. and Wu, W. 2013. Effects of Salt Stress on the Growth, Physiological Responses, and Glycoside Contents of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61(24), 5720-5726.