Investigation of the Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Seed Germination Modulation under Salinity Stress: A Study in Seed Technology Laboratory

Salinity stress is a significant challenge in global agriculture, negatively impacting the growth and productivity of agricultural crops. One proposed solution to mitigate this issue is the utilization of silica dioxide nanoparticles as an auxiliary substance in the growth and development of plants. In this regard, the current research aimed to examine the influence of silica dioxide nanoparticles on seed germination modulation in the Seed Technology Laboratory of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Shahid University in the year ۲۰۱۷. The experiment was conducted in a factorial design within a completely randomized block format with three replications. The experimental factors included the product of two levels of nano-silicon concentrations (۲۰ ppm nano-silicon - ۴۸ hours accelerated aging and ۴۰ ppm nano-silicon - ۷۲ hours accelerated aging) and natural salinity levels (control, ۴, ۸, ۱۲, and ۱۵ dS/m). The results revealed significant interactive effects of the top treatments in the first test × salinity stress on membrane permeability traits, sodium and potassium percentages and their ratios, relative water content, and photosynthetic pigments. The treatment of ۲۰ ppm and ۴۸ hours of aging under salinity stress showed superiority over the ۴۰ ppm and ۷۲ hours of aging in membrane permeability, sodium percentage, potassium-to-sodium ratio, chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid content.