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 , Heshmat Omidi ² , Yousef Filizadeh ³ , Seyed Habib Shojaei ⁴

1 - PhD student, Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
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.

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