Effects of seed priming on the germination and emergence attributes of PSB Rc82 (Peñaranda) rice under different submergence levels.

Abstract

ice production is vulnerable to floods brought about by excessive rainfall or La Niña, a phenomenon that is associated with climate change. Seed priming is a technique that has shown to improve the growth of seeds but has yet to be tested on a submergence tolerant variety of Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica Kato, the PSB Rc82. This study aimed to determine the morphological effects of seed priming on the germination and emergence of PSB Rc82 under different submergence levels. Four hundred fifty (450) PSB Rc82 seeds were divided into three groups—primed, soaked, and control, each further divided into subgroups and exposed to different submergence levels: 100%, 120%, 140%, and 160% water-holding capacity (WHC). Germination and emergence indices and morphological characteristics of the seedlings show that priming significantly affected the germination attributes of the seeds. Specifically, it significantly decreased germination time and increased the speed of germination, speed of accumulated germination, and coefficient of rate of germination. However, there is no significant difference in terms of the emergence responses. A negative correlation was observed between WHC and the growth parameters, root length, shoot length, and fresh weight..