Response of black seed (Nigella sativa L.) varieties to seed priming with zinc on germination and seedling parameters

Kareem, Nahla Jawhar; Mohammed, Bilal; Aziz, Tavga; Hussein, Nashwan

doi:10.32894/MEDIP.25.3.2.5

	Response of black seed (Nigella sativa L.) varieties to seed priming with zinc on germination and seedling parameters
Journal of Medicinal and Industrial Plant Sciences
Volume 3, Issue 2, June 2025, Pages 53-70 PDF (783.66 K)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.32894/MEDIP.25.3.2.5
Authors
Nahla Jawhar Kareem^* ; Bilal Mohammed; Tavga Aziz; Nashwan Hussein
Department of Food Security and Quality Control, Khabat Technical Institute, Erbil Polytechnic University, Erbil, Kurdistan region, Iraq
Abstract
A study was carried out at the Scientific Research Center of Erbil Polytechnic University in Erbil city during the fall of 2024. Three parameters were included in the experiment, which used a completely randomized design (CRD): zinc concentrations (0, 1, 2, and 3 g l⁻¹), seed soaking times (0, 6, 9, and 12 hours), and black seed varieties (Russian, Syrian, and Locally). In terms of germination percentage, germination speed, root length, shoot length, root and shoot dry weight, the Syrian variety treated with 2 g l⁻¹ zinc had the greatest results. Syrian seeds immersed for 12 hours produced the best outcomes, indicating a strong interaction between seed variety and soaking period. The best results were obtained after soaking with 2 g l⁻¹ zinc for 12 hours, according to the relationship between zinc concentration and soaking period. The Syrian variety produced the highest values for germination %, germination speed, root length, shoot length, and dry weights of both the root and the shoot after being soaked for 12 hours and treated with 2 g l⁻¹ zinc. However, the Russian variety treated with 2 g l⁻¹ zinc and immersed for 12 hours showed the highest fresh root and shoot weights. However, the Russian variety treated with 2 g l⁻¹ zinc and immersed for 12 hours showed the highest fresh root and shoot weights. It's interesting to note that the Syrian variety had the highest seedling value at 1 g l⁻¹ zinc with soaking duration (12 hours).
Keywords
Black seed; varieties; zinc; seed priming; seedling

References
Abedi, A. S., Rismanchi, M., & Shahdoostkhany, M. (2017). Microwave-assisted extraction of Nigella sativa L. essential oil and evaluation of its antioxidant activity. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 54, 3779–3790. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-017-2718-1 Afzal, I. (2023). Invited review - Seed priming: What’s next? Seed Science and Technology, 51. https://doi.org/10.15258/sst.2023.51.3.10 Ahmadian, A., Shiri, Y., & Froozandeh, M. (2015). Study of germination and seedling growth of black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) treated by hydro- and osmopriming under salt stress conditions. Cercetari Agronomice in Moldova, 48, 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1515/cerce-2015-0031 Al-Doori, S. (2024). Determining optimum efficiency of using foliar spraying with different concentrations of nano nickel and copper on growth traits, yield components and quality of some black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) genotypes regarding semi-arid regions. Journal of Medicinal and Industrial Plant Sciences, 2(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.32894/MEDIP.24.1.5 Al-Qadi, M., & Almohammedi, A. (2024). Response of Nigella sativa L. for spraying with glycine, lysine and iron and its effect on growth and yield. Journal of Medicinal and Industrial Plant Sciences, 2(1), 72–87. https://doi.org/10.32894/MEDIP.24.1.8 Al-Rawi, K. M., & Khalaf-allah, A. M. (2011). Design and analysis of agriculture experiments. College of Agriculture and Forestry, Mussel University. [In Arabic] Alshammari, S. (2017). Light, salinity and temperature effects on the seed germination of Nigella sativa L. Global Journal of Biology, Agriculture & Health Sciences, 6(1), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.24105/gjbahs.6.1.1706 Ambreen, M. A., Afzal, R., Reema, Y., Huma, A., & Hadeer, D. (2024). Impact of zinc oxide nanoparticles on biosynthesis of thymoquinone in cell cultures of Nigella sativa. Volume 10, 100–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plana.2024.100109 Aparna, B., Gladis, R., Gowripriya, & Aswathy, U. (2021). Effect of different sources of zinc on the activities of plant and soil enzymes. International Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 17, 42–47. https://doi.org/10.15740/HAS/IJAS/17.1/42-47 Das, S., Avasthe, R., Singh, M., Dutta, S., & Roy, A. (2018). Zinc in plant-soil system and management strategy. Agrica, 7, 1. https://doi.org/10.5958/2394-448X.2018.00001.9 Davoodi, S. H., Biyabani, A., Karizaki, A. R., Sanavi, S. A. M., Modares, E., Alamdari, E. G., Gholamalipour, & Zaree, M. (2020). Effect of iron and zinc nano chelates on yield and yield components of black cumin medicinal plant (Nigella sativa L.). GSC Journal, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.22067/gsc.v18i3.8572 Ekren, S., Paylan, I. C., & Gokcol, A. (2023). Seed quality improvement applications in black cumin seeds (Nigella sativa L.). Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1212958 Ghassemi-Golezani, K., Afsaneh, C.-J., Safar, N., & Mohammad, M. (2010). Influence of hydro-priming duration on field performance of pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 5(9), 893–897. http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR Gowthami, L., & Vijaya Bhaska, V. (2020). Mechanisms required to overcome the dormancy in ornamental plants. International Journal of Chemical Studies, 8(1), 1701–1708. https://doi.org/10.22271/chemi.2020.v8.i1y.8506 Islam, M. T., Khan, R., & Mishra, S. K. (2019). An updated literature-based review: Phytochemistry, pharmacology and therapeutic promises of Nigella sativa L. Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine, 19(2), 115–129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13596-019-00363-3 Javed, R., Yucesan, B., Zia, M., & Gurel, E. (2018). Elicitation of secondary metabolites in callus cultures of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni grown under ZnO and CuO nanoparticles stress. Sugar Tech, 20, 194–201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12355-017-0539-1 Kamal, A., Jamal, M. A., & Iffat, Z. A. (2010). Potential of Nigella sativa L. seed during different phases of germination on inhibition of bacterial growth. Journal of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Research, 1(1), 009–013. http://www.e3journals.org/JBPR Ketenoglu, O., Sündüz Kiralan, S., Kiralan, M., Ozkan, G., & Ramadan, M. F. (2020). Cold pressed black cumin (Nigella sativa L.) seed oil. In Academic Press (pp. 53–64). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818188-1.00006-2 Khalaki, M. A., Moameri, M., Behnam, A. L., & Astatkie, T. (2020). Influence of nano-priming on seed germination and plant growth of forage and medicinal plants. Plant Growth Regulation, 93(1), 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-020-00670-9 Kiralan, M., Ulas, M., Özaydın, A. G., Ozdemir, N., & Ramadan, M. F. (2016). Changes in hexanal, thymoquinone and tocopherols levels in blends from sunflower and black cumin oils as affected by storage at room temperature. Rivista Italiana Delle Sostanze Grasse, 93(4), 229–236. https://2u.pw/T4FWo Kumar, S., & Anand, R. (2021). Effect of germination and temperature on phytic acid content of cereals. International Journal of Research in Agricultural Sciences, 8(1). https://2u.pw/SrlUs Maaroof, S. M., Jasim, M. A., & Khalid, K. A. (2025). The scientific guide to measure field crop traits (2nd ed.). https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.21920.15367 Mohamed F. R. Hassanien, M. F. R., Mahgoub, S. A., & El-Zahar, K. M. (2014). Soft cheese supplemented with black cumin oil: Impact on food borne pathogens and quality during storage. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 21(3), 280–288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjbs.2013.10.005 Muhammad, O., & Al-Falahi, M. (2023). Effect of spraying nano fertilizer NPK and nano fertilizer microelements on the growth characteristics of maize plants (Zea mays L.). IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1252, 012063. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1252/1/012063 Nemtinov, V., Kostanchuk, Y., Motyleva, S., Pekhova, O., Timasheva, L., Pashtetskiy, V., & Katskaya, A. (2022). Morphometric and biochemical assessment of Nigella sativa L. genotypes of European-Asian origin. Journal of Breeding and Genetics, 54(3), 659–670. https://doi.org/10.54910/sabrao2022.54.3.18 Paparella, S., de Sousa Araújo, S., Rossi, G., & Balestrazzi, A. (2015). Seed priming: State of the art and new perspectives. Plant Cell Reports, 34(8), 1281–1293. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-015-1784-y Papastylianou, P., Bakogianni, N. N., Travlos, I., & Roussis, I. (2018). Sensitivity of seed germination to salt stress in black cumin (Nigella sativa L.). Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 46, 202–205. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha46110861 Rehman, A., Farooq, M., Ahmad, R., & Basra, S. (2015). Seed priming with zinc improves the germination and early seedling growth of wheat. Seed Science and Technology, 43. https://doi.org/10.15258/sst.2015.43.2.15 SAS Institute. (2016). Statistical analysis software (SAS) user’s guide version 9.4. Cary, NC: SAS Institute, Inc. https://2u.pw/Rn3vxmDY Sharma, A., Rathore, S. V. S., Srinivasan, K., & Tyagi, R. (2014). Comparison of various seed priming methods for seed germination, seedling vigour and fruit yield in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench). Scientia Horticulturae, 165, 75–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2013.10.044 Suri, S., Kumar, V., Tanwar, B., Goyal, A., & Gat, Y. (2019). Impact of soaking and germination time on nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of Nigella sativa. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal, 7, 142–149. https://doi.org/10.12944/CRNFSJ.7.1.14 Tan, U. (2024). Effects of seed priming on germination of Nigella sativa L. and comparison of germination performance with yield parameters in field conditions. Turkish Journal of Agriculture - Food Science and Technology, 12(6), 1026–1032. https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v12i6.1026-1032.6769 Tawfik, W. A., & Al-Naqeeb, G. (2020). Effect of geographical origin on the physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of Nigella sativa L. seed oils. Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences, 19(5), 366–372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssas.2020.03.001 Thakur, A., Kumari, S., Chakraborty, T., Kumari, A., & Dhiman, S. (2024). Influence of different seed primings in enhancing seed germination of vegetable and field crops. The Pharma Innovation, 13, 12–17. https://2u.pw/AQ0m3 Ustun, G., Kent, L., Cekin, N., & Civelekoglu, H. (2014). Investigation of the technological properties of Nigella sativa L. seed oil. Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society, 67(12), 71–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF0254185
Statistics Article View: 313 PDF Download: 188