SEED PRIMING EFFECTS ON SEED QUALITY AND ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEM IN THE SEEDLINGS OF AMARANTHUS TRICOLOR L.

Amaranthus tricolor L. cv. 'Valentina' leaves are a promising source of dietary food supplements (DFS) and are used to prepare tea drinks that improve human health in Russia. Amaranth is a small-seeded crop, and the seed mass differs significantly, which leads to unfriendly shoots and a decrease in the potential productivity of the plant biomass. Pre-sowing treatment with growth stimulants can improve its seed quality. The study aimed to improve the seed quality, the morpho-physiological parameters, and the antioxidant properties of amaranth seedlings grown from seeds treated with plant growth stimulants at the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution, Federal Scientific Vegetable Center (FSBSI FSVC), Moscow, Russia. For seed treatments, water solutions of salicylic acid (SA -138 mg/L), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2 -5 mM), succinic acid (ScA -500 mg/L), calcium chloride (CaCl2 -3000 mg/L), and gibberellic acid (GA3 -300 mg/L) were used. Researchers germinated the seeds first in petri dishes in natural light at a daytime temperature of 23 +/- 2 degrees C for seven days. Determining amaranthine, chlorophyll, and carotenoid content used generally accepted methods. Pre-sowing treatment of large and small fractions of amaranth seeds with GA3, ScA, and CaCl2 improved the seed quality, whereas seed treatment of SA and H2O2 reduced the seed quality. Recording of antioxidants (amaranthine and carotenoids) and total chlorophyll content accumulation in seedlings grown from the treated seeds followed. The levels of amaranthine and photosynthetic pigments decreased in the seedlings of Amaranthus tricolor L. cv. Valentina seeds with ScA, CaCl2, and GA3 treatments, while the seedling's biomass exceeded that of control, which suggests that these chemicals act as growth regulators. The negative effect of SA on the viability of large (LF) and small (SF) amaranth seeds showed significant reductions in the morphometric indicators. It may be due to oxidative stress, enhancing amaranthine content in the cotyledonary leaves of seedlings.