The effect of acclimatization and osmopriming of seeds on salt stress tolerance in wheat plant (Triticum aestivum L.)

Salinity is one of the most important abiotic stresses that affects seed yield and crop production. Salinity causes adverse morphological, physiological and biochemical effects on wheat seedlings. In this research, the effects of seed priming (1 mM proline) on the response of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.) to salinity stress in acclimatized and non-acclimatized conditions were investigated. Wheat seeds were subjected to acclimatization and seed priming with proline (1 mM) for 12 hours. Then, the seeds were planted in pots containing saline soil (EC=26.5 dS/m) and plant growth and physiological parameters were investigated. The results showed that in non-stressed conditions, seed yield increased with proline treatment. Pretreatment of seeds with proline under salinity stress preserved their photosynthetic performance compared to acclimatization. The results of examining the characteristics of shoot dry weight along with the measurement of malondialdehyde showed that acclimatization with low salt concentration cannot reduce the inhibitory effect of high salinity (EC=26.5 dS/m). Therefore, more research is needed to optimize the acclimatization protocol, seed osmopriming factors and environmental conditions to increase plant tolerance to salinity stress