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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/SAgri/33
Low doses of caffeine as seed priming are effective for the induction of water stress
tolerance in wheat at germination and early vegetative stage

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Qasim Ali *, Mehtab-ul-Hassan , Shafaqat Ali , Muhammad Rizwan , Rashida Perveen
1 Department of Botany, Government College University Faisalabad-38000 Pakistan
2 Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Government College University
Faisalabad-38000 Pakistan
3 Department of Physics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040 Pakistan
Correspondence: qasimbot_uaf@yahoo.com
Abstract

Better crop stand establishment is a major problem in agronomic crops for better production
especially under rainfed conditions. Rapid and uniform seed germination contributes
maximally in the establishment of better crop stand that is a problem under water deficit
conditions. Different methods/techniques are being used to overcome this problem. These
include the hydro priming osmo-priming, chemo-priming, chilling treatment etc. The chemo-
priming includes the priming with different organic and inorganic chemical, and it is found
successful in better crop production by improving the seed germination and seedling
emergence potential. The present experiment was conducted in growth room to find out the
effects of seed priming with different levels of caffeine under PEG-induced water stress under
growth room conditions in the Department of Botany, Government College University
Faisalabad. The PEG-8000 with 16% (-0.65 M.Pa) concentration was used to create water
stress. The experiment was arranged in CRD with four replications of each treatment. Wheat
cultivar S-24 was used for the experimentation. The experiment was comprised of two sets of
Petri-dishes corresponding to each level of water stress. One set was supplied with half strength
Hoagland’s nutrient solution and the other set was supplied with 12% PEG-8000 in half
strength Hoagland’s nutrient solution as water stress treatment. There were 6 seed soaking
treatments i.e. no soaking, water soaking, and 4, 8, 12, 16 ppm doses of the caffeine. Water
stress negatively impacted the seed germination and seedling emergence, seedling growth,
biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, and antioxidative defence mechanism but increased
the membrane lipid peroxidation. Seed priming with different caffein levels significantly
reduced the adverse impacts of water stress on seed germination, seedling growth, leaf
photosynthetic pigments and antioxidative defence mechanism but the positive responses were
found only due to seed priming with 4 and 12 ppm levels of caffeine. The maximum
amelioration was found due to seed priming with 12 ppm level of caffeine as compared with
other levels. In conclusion seed priming with 12 ppm level of caffeine is recommended for
better germination and better crop stand establishment in rainfed or water deficit areas.
Keywords: antioxidative defence, lipid peroxidation, seed priming

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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