Effects of priming treatments on germination and biochemical characteristics of Pinus bungeana seeds

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of seed priming on the germination and physiology of Pinus bungeana seeds. Seeds were treated by hydropriming with distilled water, halopriming with potassium nitrate (KNO₃) at -0.3, -0.6, -1.2 MPa respectively (untreated dry seeds were taken as control). Properties of seed germination and physiology were determined and the effect of hydro- and halopriming on germination and physiology of P. bungeana seeds were investigated. The results showed that, compared with control, each priming treatment had increased the germination percentage (GP) and germination index (GI), shortened the mean germination time (MGT) and the time required for 50% of the seeds to germinate (G₅₀). Primed P. bungeana seeds significantly decreased the relative conductivity and the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA). Of all the treatments applied to seeds of P. bungeana, halopriming at -0.3 MPa KNO₃ produced the highest GP (65.0%) and the shortest MGT (18.8 d) and G₅₀ (18.2 d).