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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Effect of seed priming with elicitor chemicals on germination and early seedling growth of different wheat genotypes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13925
Submitted
31 January 2026
Published
24-07-2026

Abstract

Elicitor priming of seed is an effective method for increasing early stress tolerance and seedling establishment of wheat. The present study was conducted at GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, during the academic year 2024–25. The aim of study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of various elicitor chemicals specifically salicylic acid (SA), benzothiadiazole (BTH), jasmonic acid (JA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) on seed germination parameters of different wheat cultivars. The effects of various elicitors (SA, H2O2, BTH and JA) at different concentrations on germination percentage, early seedling development and seed vigour index (SVI) in three wheat genotypes under non-stress and drought-stress conditions were studied. All priming treatments had a significant effect on enhancing germination and seedling performance as compared to unprimed seed. The H2O2 (2 %) and SA (0.5 mM), were among the elicitors with almost the highest germination (~100 and 98 % respectively) and gave the strongest seedlings. Salicylic acid (0.5 mM) resulted in the highest SVI (about 1538) and H2O2 (2 %) respectively. Under polyethylene glycol (PEG) -0.8 MPa simulated drought stress, SA- primed, H2O2 primed seeds held significantly increased germination compared to the unprimed seeds and this means increased stress resilience. The BTH treatments showed moderate effect on germination and growth, while no further increase with high concentrations. In contrast, JA exhibited a strong concentration-dependent
response, low concentrations were tolerated, but as the doses of JA increased, with the most significant inhibition being with higher doses (4 mM JA) resulting in seedling mortality. Overall, the study established that optimum levels of SA and H2O2 effectively enhanced the wheat seeds performance and early vigour, whereas excessive JA application is detrimental. This study will help to identify suitable elicitors and treatment conditions to improve wheat seedling establishment and could potentially enhance the crop stress resilience and yield.

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