Effect of seed priming with polyethylene glycol and sodium chloride on germination and growth indices of Pimpinella anisum L

This study was carried out in the greenhouse of the college of Agriculture, 2009 to evaluate the effect of seed priming with polyethylene glycol and sodium chloride on germination and growth indices of Pimpinella anisum L. In this study, the effects of seed priming with a solution of polyethylene glycol at three levels (-5, -10 and -15 bar), seed priming in sodium chloride solution at three levels (-5, -10 and -15 bar) and control treatment (seed priming with distilled water) were investigated in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results showed that the effect of seed priming with polyethylene glycol and sodium chloride on most traits including germination percentage, germination speed and seedling dry weight was significant (p ≤ 0/05).With decreasing water potential, germination percentage, germination speed and seedling dry weight (except for polyethylene glycol 10 bar) were significantly decreased (p ≤ 0/05) as results of seed priming with polyethylene glycol 10 bar were very close to the results of the control treatment.