Effect of Seed Priming on some Morphophysiological Characteristics, Yield and Seed Protein Content in Three Dryland Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Cultivars

To investigate the effect of seed priming treatments on seed yield and it’s components in three bread wheat cultivars (Rijaw, Sardari and Karim) was studied under dryland condition at the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center of Kermanshah during 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 growing season. The priming treatments consisted of gibberellic acid with 100 mg.L-1, 24-epiprasinolide 1 mg L-1, potassium chloride with 100 mmol L-1 and polyethylene glycol (PEG4000) with -2.3 and -2.9 bar, zinc sulfate 0.1 and 0.3%, 2 and 4 g urea L-1, ascorbic acid 100 mg L-1, hydropriming with distilled water and control (without seed priming). The highest percentage of crop ground cover was obtained with 39.9% of Sardari cultivar and 4 g urea L-1. The highest relative mean water content and flag leaf membrane stability index with 88.1 and 71.6% were related to Karim cultivar with 0.3% hydrated zinc sulfate treatment, respectively. The lowest mean rate of flag leaf water loss (30.6%) was obtained from Karim cultivar with zinc sulfate treatment of 0.3%. Two-year results showed that the highest mean seed yield (2801.4 kg.ha-1) belonged to Rijaw cultivar by seed priming treatment with 4 g.L-1 urea. The highest percentages of seed protein content by NIR method of Karim cultivar and treatments of urea with a concentration of 4 g.L-1 (12.32%), ascorbic acid (12.31%) and gibberellic acid (12.18%) with 100 mg.L-1 were obtained. In this study, based on the total measured traits of morphophysiological, yield and grain quality traits, nutient treatments of urea with a concentration of 4 g L-1, zinc sulfate with a concentration of 0.3% and ascorbic acid with a concentration of 100 mg.L-1 and potassium chloride 100 mmol L-1 were identified and recommended as appropriate and superior seed priming treatments.