The effect of substrate and stimulating hormone on germination characteristics of Salvadora persica ‎

Germination is one of the most important stages of plant growth that may be affected by different stresses in ‎natural environments. This study was kind aimed to investigate the effects of substrate and different levels of ‎gibberellic and indole butyric acid on germination characteristics of Salvadora persica seeds in 2019. Two factors ‎was considered consist of substrate (in four types (1- pit moss, 2 - cocopit and 3 - pit moss 50% + sand 50% 4 - ‎Cocopit 50% + 50% sand), and gibberellic acid (in two levels 250 and 500 ppm) and indole butyric acid (in two ‎levels 250 and 500 ppm). Then, the effect of these two factors and distilled water as the control in three ‎replications on seed germination and seedling growth of Salvadora persica was investigated using a completely ‎randomized factorial design. The results showed that the substrate had a significant effect on germination ‎percentage, root length, shoot length, seedling, fresh root weight, shoot fresh weight and seed vigor index ‎‎(p < 0.01). Seed pretreatment with gibberellic and indole butyric acid hormones had a significant effect on all ‎studied characteristics. Interaction of substrate type and pretreatment with hormones had a significant effect on ‎germination percentage, root length, shoot length, seedling and seed vigor index (p < 0.01) and had no significant ‎effect on root and shoot fresh weight. The highest germination percentage was obtained in cocopeat and ‎gibberellic acid 250 ppm (73%).