Seed priming for better growth and yield of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) under saline condition

Salinity is considered as a major abiotic stress affecting crop production in arid and semi-arid region. In field condition, poor germination and decrease of seedling growth results in poor establishment and occasionally crop failure. Many research studies have shown that seed priming is an efficient method for increasing plant growth and improvement of yield in saline condition. That’s why; this experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of KCl priming on the growth traits and yield of Tunisian safflower under salinity conditions. Seeds were primed with KCl (5 g/l) for 24 h at 20°C. Primed (P) and un-primed (NP) seeds were directly sown in the field and followed during eight months of plant cycle. Experiments were conducted using various water irrigations concentrations induced by NaCl (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 g/l). Results showed that plant height of primed seeds was greater than that of un-primed seeds. Numbers of branches per plant, fresh and dry weight, heads number per plant, petals and grains yield of plants derived from primed seeds were higher compared with un-primed seeds