Determination of the best seed priming with sodium chloride (NaCl) in medicinal plant periwinkle

In this research the effects of of seed priming with sodium chloride (NaCl) on periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus L.) seed germination and seedlings growth were investigated and the best seed priming was determinated. For this, Periwinkle seeds primed with different concentrations of NaCl (10, 30 and 50 mM) for 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours and the germination and seedling growth properties of primed and unprimed seeds were evaluated. The results showed that the percentage and rate of germination, seedling length and dry weight were significantly affected by NaCl priming. The percentage and rate of germination, seedling length and dry weight from primed seeds were significantly higher than those of the control. The highest and lowest percentage and rate of germination, seedling length and dry weight were obtained from primed seeds with 50 mM concentration of NaCl for 48 hours and the control, respectively. On the other hands the utilization of the seed priming with sodium chloride was significantly increased the germination and seedling growth of this plant through improvement of seed vigor. According to the results, seed priming with 50 mM Nacl for 48 hours can be considered as the best treatment for improvement of periwinkle seed germination and growth properties.