A review of the research conducted on the priming of chickpea seeds (Cicer arietinum L.)

Introduction: After cereals, legumes are the second most important food source in Iran (Ministry of Agriculture, ۲۰۱۸) and the world. In terms of their unique position in crop rotations, strengthening soil fertility, preventing soil erosion, developing sustainable agriculture, a key role in human nutrition as a source of vegetable protein, and improving the livelihood of farmers, they are very important in agricultural systems. Despite these advantages, their performance fluctuates more than other crops (Reckling et al., ۲۰۱۵). Chickpea is an important grain crop in dry farming systems. In Iran, chickpea is the most critical plant from the legume group, accounting for more than ۵۰% of the area under legume cultivation. After India, Pakistan, and Turkey, Iran has the largest cultivated area in the world, but it is ranked ۴۵th in grain yield production (FAO, ۲۰۲۲). Seed priming is a promising strategy and a valuable solution for increasing germination quality and emerging and producing more vigorous seedlings. During priming, seeds are treated with different solutions before sowing. Their controlled hydration under these conditions allows the seeds to absorb water. In this way, the seeds are placed in the first stage of germination, but the root does not protrude through the seed coat. Since the primed seeds are physiologically close to the germination stage, the speed of their germination and emergence are increased, stronger and more resistant seedlings to environmental stresses are produced, and higher seed yield is obtained. (Kumar & Rajalekshmi, ۲۰۲۱; Ahmad et al. ۲۰۱۷). The essential benefits of seed priming include increasing mitochondria and improving seed respiration, increasing the synthesis of decomposing enzymes and reactivating them, realizing these things and improving germination and seedling growth, establishing and achieving uniform field green, and creating autotrophic plants. Seed priming is accelerated in the field, and this leads to the improvement of the plant's ecophysiological conditions (Pagano et al., ۲۰۲۳). As a result of seed priming, improvement of germination behavior and its related indicators, including average germination time, length of root and stem, germination rate, and initial establishment, occurs in seeds (Paparella et al., ۲۰۱۵). Recently, various methods, such as hydro priming, Osmo priming, halo priming, etc., have been used for seed priming (Paparella et al., ۲۰۱۵; Savvides et al., ۲۰۱۶). Materials and methods: To carry out this research, studies on chickpea priming should be examined first. Articles were searched in domestic (Magiran, Sid & Elmnet) and foreign (Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed & Google Scholar) databases, as well as theses available in the Ganj system with the keyword 'pea priming'. After reviewing the articles, some of the articles that had the investigated indicators were selected, and their results were used in the article. Results and Discussion: In most of the farms in our country, environmental stress, such as water stress, has a significant impact on reducing the establishment of plants and thus reducing yield. In this sense, seed priming before planting is an agricultural operation that increases germination and better seedling establishment (Bolek et al., ۲۰۱۳). In Iran, the low yield potential of chickpea cultivars can be attributed to the limited use of agricultural inputs and the lack of appropriate production methods. Another critical factor that causes a decrease in production and permanent or temporary fluctuations in its performance is the sensitivity of existing cultivars to biotic (pests and diseases) and non-biotic (drought, salinity, and cold) stresses (Sánchez-Bermúdez et al., ۲۰۰۷). The results of several research studies are presented in Table ۱. The results indicated that the priming treatment increased the percentage of germination and the establishment of more robust seedlings with a high growth rate. In the later stages of the chickpea seedling growth, the priming treatment increased the volume of the roots and the effectiveness of the stabilizing nodes. Nitrogen, as well as increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes, increases resistance and tolerance to drought and salinity stress and increases the biological performance and grain yield in Iran's dry weather conditions. Conclusion: According to previous research results, pea priming is a low-cost and convenient method in greenhouse and field cultivation, among other methods, to improve the performance of chickpea plants under

کلیدواژه ها:

Chickpea seeds ، Seed priming ، Germination quality ، Legumes ، Agricultural systems