Performance of pepper seedlings developed from seeds pretreated with algal aqueous extracts

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the effect of seed priming for two pepper varieties by extracts of two algae thalli on the performance of growth at vegetative stage.The seeds were soaked in thalli aqueous extracts (at 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 g/L), for 24 h at 28±2°C, rinsed thoroughly with distilled water and then dried to their initial weight as a first batch (SD), a second batch of seeds was considered, corresponding to seeds placed in Petri dishes to germinate directly after washing (SND). Untreated seeds were the control. The results showed than the priming has improved seedlings growth for both varieties. Seed priming with algae aqueous extracts has improved roots and shoots length. The best stimulations were 220% and 70%, respectively, recorded for seedlings of Baklouti and Chargui varieties, following the priming with the extract of Padina pavonica at 40 g/L concentration. These improvements appear to be related to a better photosynthetic intensity, an increase in the number of leaves and the water content, which were noted in plants from pretreated seeds. Finally, the results indicate that, generally, the plantlets from SND were more vigorous. The results of this work show that algae could be an inexhaustible resource of substances, that can be used as an alternative to chemicals used in the pretreatment of seeds, reducing the risk of pollution and preserving the biological material.