Effect of hydropriming on germination and growth indices in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars under drought stress in laboratory and glasshouse condition

In order to evaluate the effect of hydropriming on germination and seedling growth of Chickpea cultivars under drought stress this study was conducted in two separate experiments. In the first experiment the effect of hydropriming on the germination of two chickpea cultivars ILC6266 and MCC510 were studied in physiology laboratory. The second experiment was conducted in research greenhouse in same location. Drought treatments were 70, 50 and 30 percent of field capacity. Analysis of variance showed that increasing the duration of soaking in water to 24 hours, the germination percentage and germination rate increased 8 % and 25 % respectively. Seed priming increased radicle and plumule length of both cultivars, but the MCC 510 has a length of radicle and plumule was higher than the ILC 6266. Also with increasing duration of hydro to 24 hours seed length vigor of MCC 510 and ILC 6266 was increased 41% and 52% compared control condition. Based on the results of glasshouse drought severely reduced germination percentage of both cultivars, although somewhat priming could reduce the damaging effects of water stress as a priming for 24 hours could caused 100% percentage of emergence in the MCC 510. Both cultivars under drought stress in seedling death was caused without priming but The hydropriming for 24 hours could increase 74 percent dry matter chickpea cultivars compared control condition. In conjunction with plant weight vigor also increase drought stress caused a significant reduction of both cultivars in all levels of hydropriming.