Effects of Potassium Nitrate Containing Priming on Germination of Tomato (Lycopersicon Lycopersicum L.) Seeds Under Salt Stress

In this study, the effects of potassium nitrate (KNO₃) treatments on germination percentage, mean germination time, germination uniformity, root length and vigor index of tomato seeds were investigated under different salt concentrations. In the study, four different salt concentrations (0, 75, 100, and 125 mM NaCl) and five different KNO₃ treatments (dry seed, distilled water [0 mM], 0.5, 1, and 2 mM KNO₃) were applied. According to the results, KNO3 treatments increased the germination percentage and shortened the germination time. The highest germination percentage (FGP) was observed in the combination of 0 mM NaCl and 1 mM KNO3 (84.0%) and the lowest in the combination of 125 mM NaCl dry seed and 0 mM KNO3 (29.3% and 32.0%). In terms of germination time (MGT), the shortest time was observed in 0 mM NaCl 1 mM KNO3 (4.79 days) and the longest time was observed in 125 mM NaCl dry seed and 0 mM KNO3 (11.85 and 11.83 days, respectively). While increasing salt concentration negatively affected the germination performance, KNO3 treatments alleviated these effects. The positive effect of KNO3 treatments was also observed in germination uniformity (G10-90), root length (RL) and vigor index parameters. In general, 1 mM KNO3 treatments gave the most successful results. KNO3 treatments were observed to support seed metabolism and improve germination under stress conditions through the effect of osmotic priming. These findings emphasize the positive effects of KNO3 applications on seed germination and support their potential use in agricultural applications.