Salicylic acid as an attenuator of water stress in germination and initial growth of seedlings of Cereus jamacaru DC

Abstract

Water scarcity is a problem for plant growth in semiarid regions, so it is necessary to study its effects, as well as measures to mitigate such damage in germination and initial seedling growth. The objective of this study was to evaluate salicylic acid (AS) as a stress attenuator during seed germination and initial growth of Cereus jamacaru seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design in a 5 x 5 factorial scheme, with five potential osmotics (0.0; -0.2; -0.4; -0.8 and -1.2 MPa) induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) and five doses of AS (0.0; 0.29; 1.0; 1.71 and 2.0 mM L-1). The evaluations carried out were: germination percentage, first count, speed index, average time and average germination speed, length, fresh and dry seedling mass. The water stress induced by PEG 6000 solutions reduces the quality and vigor of C. jamacaru seeds. Soaking of seeds with AS attenuates the water deficit effect, with the dose of 1.71 mM L^-1 being the most efficient to reduce the damage caused by water stress on the germination of C. jamacaru seeds.