Biopriming of sweet pepper and tomato seeds with Ascophyllum nodosum

• Published in: Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía, Medellín Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 9423 - 9430
• Main Authors: Bertoncini Peixoto da Silva, Mariana, Neumann Silva, Vanessa, Câmara Vieira, Letícia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bogota Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2021; Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias - Universidad Nacional de Colombia
• Subjects: AGRONOMY; Algae; Ascophyllum nodosum; Cultivars; Germination; Natural products; Organic farming; Physiological effects; Priming; Seaweeds; Seedlings; Seeds; Tomatoes; Vegetables; Algas marrones; Brown seaweed; Capsicum annuum; Germinación; Solanum lycopersicum; Germination
• ISSN: 0304-2847; 2248-7026; 2248-7026
• DOI: 10.15446/rfnam.v74n1.88240

Organic agriculture has been growing in recent years; however, one of the limitations in this area is the treatment of seeds with natural products and less aggressive to the environment. Seed biopriming with brown seaweed extract can be used to improve the physiological quality of seeds. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of seed biopriming with Ascophyllum nodosum extracts (algae) on pepper and tomato seed quality. Pepper seeds of All Big and Alegria cultivars (cvs), and tomato seeds of Cereja and Rio Grande cvs were used. The extract concentrations were 0, 125, 250, and 375 ppm. A completely randomized design in a 2×4 factorial scheme was used. The variables analyzed were percentage germination; germination speed index; root and shoot length; and root and shoot dry weight. Sweet pepper biopriming at 125 ppm enhanced germination in 16.5% for All Big cv; but it did not benefit Alegria cv. A. nodosum as a biopriming provided an increase of 50% in root length growth in Alegria cv; although, it had a negative effect on the growth of pepper seedlings of the All Big cv at 375 ppm. Tomato seed biopriming with A. nodosum at 125 ppm, enhanced root and shoot growth by 38 and 31% of Cereja cv; Nevertheless, it did not provide higher levels of germination. For Rio Grande cv, shoot growth was benefited at 125 ppm, with approximately 1.04 cm larger than the control. The effect of Ascophyllum nodosum priming depended on its concentration and the cultivar given that, different responses were obtained, also due to the compounds of the extract.