Influence of priming on Eucalyptus spp seeds' tolerance to salt stress

Abstract

Abstract: The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of priming on the germination of Eucalyptus urophylla and of hybrid E. urophylla × E. grandis seeds under salt stress. Two osmotic potentials (-1.0 and -1.5 MPa) were tested, using PEG 6000 for 1 and 3 days. After priming, seeds were germinated under salt stress in a NaCl solution at 0.0 (control), -0.5, -0.75 and -1.0 MPa potentials, at 25 °C. Seed germination and germination speed index decreased as the water potential of the germination medium decreased. However, E. urophylla was more tolerant to salt stress; it showed a higher germination percentage under all tested potentials, when compared to the hybrid. The osmotic conditioning at -1.0 MPa for three days was more effective when E. urophylla x E. grandis was germinated in a salt solution at -1.0 MPa, indicating that this treatment was more effective in inducing tolerance to salt stress.