Determination of the Effect of Salicylic Acid Application on Drought Stress in Germination Stage of Bread Wheat

Seed germination and seedling formation are the most important stages in the plant growth cycle, and they play a significant role in determining plant density. The main issues in drought-prone areas are poor seed germination and seedling emergence. Priming is known to improve germination and seedling formation under a variety of environmental stresses. Salicylic acid (SA) regulates many physiological processes in plants, including growth, development, ion absorption, and germination. The current study was conducted to determine the responses of two bread wheat genotypes (DZ17-1 and Empire Plus) to drought stress during germination and early development periods. A randomized plots factorial design with four replications was used in the laboratory of the Department of Field Crops, Faculty of Agriculture, Şırnak University. The seeds of bread wheat genotypes were treated with 0, 0.5, and 1 mM SA in the study. Seeds germinated in five different drought stress environments (0, -0.25, -0.50, -0.75, -1 MPa PEG 6000 solution). Coleoptile length, root length, seedling length, germination rate, and germination vigor were all measured. According to the findings, increased drought stress had a negative effect on all of the traits studied. In drought conditions, only 0.5 mM SA application had an increasing effect on germination rate and germination vigor properties. It was found that the Empire Plus cultivar was more drought tolerant.