The Effect of Viburnum opulus L. Fruit Extract on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Maize (Zea mays L.) Under Salt Stress Conditions

Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus L.) is recognized as a valuable medicinal and nutritional plant. Traditionally, Viburnum opulus (VO) has been used to treat various health conditions, including coughs, colds, tuberculosis, rheumatic pain, ulcers, gastrointestinal disorders, and renal issues. The beneficial health effects of Viburnum opulus are largely attributed to its antioxidant properties, which have been demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo studies. However, no research has investigated its specific effects on seed germination, yet. Salt stress is a significant environmental factor that negatively affects plant growth and development. In this study, the effects of Viburnum opulus fruit extract (VO FE) at four different concentrations (125, 250, 500, and 1000 µg/ml) on maize (Zea mays L.) seed germination and seedling growth under 300 mM NaCl (severe salt stress) were investigated. Germination percentage (GP), germination rate index (GRI), germination energy (GE), mean germination time (MGT), seed vigor (SV), shoot weight (SW), shoot length (SL), root weight (RW), root length (RL), and hypocotyl length (HL) were measured to evaluate the effects of VO FE on maize performance. The results revealed that under salt stress conditions, treatments of 500 and 1000 VO FE µg/ml had an adverse effect on germination and growth, while 125 µg/ml VO FE treatment showed no statistically significant improvement compared to salt stress alone. However, the 250 µg/ml VO FE treatment significantly improved germination and growth parameters restricted by salt stress. The 250 µg/ml VO FE treatment increased GP, GRI, GE, and SV by 19.6%, 31.27%, 15.28%, and 32.8%, respectively, while MGT decreased by 7.24% under salt stress. Regarding growth parameters, SFW and SL were increased by 5.69% and 87.5%, respectively, and RFW and RL were increased by 15.5% and 37.4%, respectively. Additionally, HL increased by 18.46% with the treatment of 250 µg/ml VO FE. Based on these findings, this study demonstrates that pretreatment with 250 µg/ml Viburnum opulus fruit extract significantly enhanced seed germination and plant growth in maize and improved tolerance to salt stress, making it a promising approach for mitigating the effects of salinity on crop performance.