Chitosan and humic acid as biostimulant seed coatings enhance germination and seedling growth in two forage pea varieties (Pisum sativum var. arvense (L.)) under drought stress

Forage pea is an important legume used as livestock feed; however, environmental stresses, particularly drought, significantly affect its germination and seedling growth. Seed coating technology is an effective strategy for enhancing seed germination and seedling growth under drought conditions. This study was conducted to evaluate the potential of seed coating with chitosan (۰.۱%, ۰.۱۵%, ۰.۲%, and ۰.۳%) and humic acid (۱۶, ۱۷, ۱۸, and ۱۹ g kg-۱ seeds) under drought stress (۰, -۳, -۶, and -۹ bar) in two forage pea varieties (Pionir and Arda). Evaluations considered final germination percentage, mean germination rate, and shoot and root length. Overall, the Pionir variety showed higher final germination percentage, mean germination rate, and shoot and root length than the Arda variety under both normal and drought stress conditions. In the Arda variety, significant decreases in the measured traits were observed under -۶ bar drought stress. The two cultivars showed significant differences in shoot length, whereas no significant differences were observed in root length The results for the Pionir variety indicated that seed coating with chitosan (۰.۲%) improved shoot length by ۴۱.۹۵% and root length by ۳۰.۱۵%, whereas humic acid (۱۹ g kg⁻¹ seeds) increased shoot length by ۲۸.۷۹% and root length by ۱۴.۰۳%. Similarly, in the Arda variety, chitosan (۰.۲%) increased shoot length by ۵۷.۴۴% and root length by ۸.۰۷%, while humic acid (۱۹ g kg⁻¹ seeds) improved shoot length by ۳۲.۸۷% and root length by ۳۰.۲۵%. Thus, these biostimulants can enhance forage pea seed germination and seedling growth.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cover crops ، Establishment ، Film coating ، PEG