GERMINATION OF CREOLE MAIZE AND FAVA BEAN SEEDS UNDER SALT STRESS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Salt stress negatively affects plant development, mainly in arid and semiarid regions, promoting changes in their physiology and productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the germinative potential of creole maize (Zea mays L.) and fava bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) seeds under different salt stress conditions. The seeds were collected in rural areas of the municipalities of Guanambi, Candiba, and Brumado, which are within the Serra Geral region in the state of Bahia, Brazil. A completely randomized experimental design was used; the treatments consisted of three salts (CaCl2, MgCl2, and NaCl) and four salinity levels (osmotic potentials of -0.3, -0.9, and -1.2 MPa). Seed physical analyses included moisture and purity, and physiological analyses included germination percentage, germination speed index, average germination time, and relative germination frequency. The storage of creole maize and fava bean seeds in plastic bottles and under adequate humidity ensures that seeds will have moisture content and physical purity within ideal values. Salt stresses induced by NaCl and CaCl2 salts at osmotic potentials of -0.3 to -1.2 MPa hinder the creole maize and fava bean seed germination, and their germination are null for both salts at osmotic potentials lower than -0.3 MPa. The creole maize and fava bean seeds show germination of 70% under salt stress induced by MgCl2 at osmotic potential of -0.3 MPa, making the germination of both species viable.