SEED PRIMING WITH GREEN SYNTHESIZED ZnO NANOPARTICLES IMPROVES GERMINATION OF TAGETES ERECTA L. UNDER SALINITY STRESS
Propagation of Ornamental Plants, cilt.26, sa.2, ss.48-56, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 26 Sayı: 2
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Dergi Adı: Propagation of Ornamental Plants
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.48-56
- Anahtar Kelimeler: abiotic stress, germination, marigold, nanoparticles, SEM, XRD
- Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Extensive researches have shown that salinity is a major abiotic stress factor that limits plant growth and productivity worldwide. Seed priming with green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) effectively improved the germination of Tagetes erecta L. under salinity stress. For this purpose, ZnO NPs were green-synthesized using fresh pomegranate (Punica granatum) extract. The synthesis was carried out by mixing a 0.1 M Zn(NO3)2 solution with 5 ml of the extract, and the morphological structure of the resulting NPs was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FT-IR) analyses. The effects of priming with different ZnO NPs doses (0 control, distilled water), 25, 50, 75, and 100 mg kg-1) on seed germination of Tagetes erecta seeds under the salinity stress (0 control), 50, 100, and 150 mM of NaCl) were evaluated. Standard germination test was conducted and the germination percentage (GP), germination speed (GS), mean germination time (MGT), peak value (PV), radicle length and fresh weight were determined after 14 days. The impact of ZnO NPs as a priming agent varied significantly depending on the nanoparticle concentration and the level of salinity stress. Increasing NaCl concentrations significantly suppressed all germination parameters, whereas ZnO NPs priming effectively mitigated these adverse effects. Specifically, 50 mg kg-1 ZnO NPs maximized germination (79.5%) and speed (18.5%) under 50 mM NaCl, while also significantly improving the PV and shortening the MGT across all salinity levels. Furthermore, ZnO NPs applications at 50-75 mg kg-1 promoted radicle length. Heat map and hierarchical clustering analysis indicated that 25-100 mg kg-1 ZnO NP applications alleviated the adverse effects of salinity stress by improving germination performance. Overall, these findings suggest that seed priming with ZnO NPs offers a promising strategy for mitigating salinity-induced limitations for Tagetes erecta.