Study of the seed priming effect of different barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties on various germination characteristics

Seed priming is the simplest and the best method to increase seed germination speed.

To address this, in a study aimed at the effect of priming of different barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivars on various germination characteristics, in the form of a factorial experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with four replications in the research greenhouse of the Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Hamadan province in 2022. Treatments including priming of seeds with fertilizers 1. Biozar, 2. Seafull amino zinc, 3. Sabzine, 4. Royesh, 5. Ecobooster, and 6. control (no fertilizer application), and different barley cultivars including Jolgeh, Bahman, Azaran, Abidar, Ghaflan, and Sahand.

The results indicated a significant effect of seed priming on the evaluated characteristics compared to the control treatment. The highest enzyme activities of catalase (0.117 Unit/ml) and peroxidase (85.08 Unit/ml) were obtained in seedlings obtained from seeds priming with Seafull amino zinc, which were 72 and 33% more than control treatments, respectively. The highest seedling vigor index was related to the seeds priming with seafull amino zinc fertilizer (26.55), which was significantly higher than the control treatment (22.84) and other treatments. Also, the germination percentage of seeds priming with seafull amino zinc fertilizer was significantly higher (3.5%) than the control.

Considering that seed priming is a cost-effective and easy method and at the same time it is simple and does not require complex technical knowledge, it can be easily implemented by farmers. Therefore, this method is recommended to improve germination, seedling growth, and the quality and strength of barley seeds.