Effects of salinity and ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (edta) on the germination of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seeds

In this study, the effects of the combined treatment of salinity and ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) on the germination of tomato seeds in Petri-dishes were compared to sole salinity. The treatments consisted of seven concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCL): 0 (control), 10, 50, 100, 250, 500 and 1000 mM. The results from this study showed that percentage germination decreased from 86.7% in the control to 73.3% in 10 mM, 70 % in 50 mM and 23.3 % in 100 mM. Seeds treated with 250, 500 and 1 000 mM sodium chloride did not germinate. The addition of EDTA at concentration of 1.0 mM significantly (p≤0.05) reduced the salinity effect and enhanced germination of tomato seeds except for concentrations between 250 – 1000 mM where the effect of EDTA had no effect on the germination. Similarly, plumule and radicle lengths were significantly reduced with increase in concentration of NaCl. The results showed that higher concentration of NaCl significantly reduced the germination potential of tomato seeds and this can be reversed with the addition of EDTA when the concentration of NaCl was not above 100 mM.Keywords: Ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid, Germination, Sodium Chloride, Tomato seed