Effect of seed priming treatment with nitrate salt on phytotoxicity and chlorophyll content under short term moisture stress in maize (Zea mays L.)

An experiment was carried out to appraise the effect of seed priming treatment with Mg(NO3)2 against various levels of externally imposed moisture stress by polyethylene glycol-6000 on phytotoxicity in shoot and root and chlorophyll content in maize plant under laboratory conditions. The phytotoxicity of shoot and root was increased as the elevated levels of PEG-6000 towards T1 to T4 (i.e. 1.5 to 4.5 %, Set-I) as compared to control set (T0, i.e. without treated set), while the least values of phytotoxicity were recorded in T5 and onwards increased slowly up to T8 (i.e. 1.5 to 4.5 % of PEG-6000 + primed seed, Set-II). The same trend of phytotoxicity was recorded for both the plant parts at both the times of observations, i.e. shoot and root 120 and 240 hours. The chlorophyll content of shoot was recorded in decreasing trend onwards from T1 to T4 in treatment set-I as compared to T0, i.e. control. While the highest amount of chlorophyll content was recorded in T5 followed by T6 as compared to the rest of the treatments. © 2020 Technoscience Publications. All rights reserved.