Improving Sugar Beet Seeds Germination Under Salinity Stress Using Natural Biostimulants

Seadh, Saleh E.; Badawi, Mohsen; Kandil, Ahmed

doi:10.36531/ijds.2026.169926.1118

	Improving Sugar Beet Seeds Germination Under Salinity Stress Using Natural Biostimulants
IRAQI JOURNAL OF DESERT STUDIES
Volume 16, Issue 1 - Serial Number 16, July 2026, Pages 94-103 PDF (2.77 M)
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.36531/ijds.2026.169926.1118
Authors
Saleh E. Seadh^* ¹; Mohsen Badawi²; Ahmed Kandil²
¹Prof. of Agronomy, Vice Dean Faculty of Agriculture for Education and Student Affairs, Mansoura University, Egypt.
²Agronomy Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Egypt.
Abstract
At the Agronomy Department Laboratory of Seed Testing, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Egypt, a lab experiment was conducted throughout October, 2022. This study aimed to improve sugar beet seed germination under salinity stress using selected natural substances. The experiment was conducted as a factorial arrangement in completely randomized design (CRD). Salinity levels (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 mM of NaCl) comprised the first factor. The second aspect was soaking seed treatments in natural substances (distilled water, 100, 200, and 300 ml/L of moringa leaf extract “MLE”, 75, 150, and 225 ml/L of algae extract “AE”, and 100, 150, and 200 ml/L of yeast extract “YE”). The control treatment (without salinity stress) or soaking sugar beet seeds in moringa leaf extract (MLE) at a level of 300 ml/L yielded the highest values of germination percentage, speed of germination index, germination index, co-efficient of germination, mean germination time, energy of germination, and the lowest values of abnormal and rotten seed %. It may be advised to soak seeds in MLE at 300 ml l-1 YE at 200 ml l-1 or AE at 225 ml/L for eighteen hours in order to improve germination parameters of the sugar beet Hossam cultivar under salinity stress conditions.
Keywords
Sugar beet; salinity stress; natural Extracts; germination parameters

References
Abdelraouf, E. A. A. (2017). Effect of presoaking sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) seeds with gibberellic, abscisic or ascorbic acids on alleviation of salinity stress. Alexandria Science Exchange Journal, 38(1), 74–81. Badawi, M. A., Seadh, S. E., & Emhimmid, W. M. A. (2020). Improvement of wheat germination by using some biostimulant substances. Journal of Plant Production, 11(2), 139–144. Barnett, J. A., Payne, R. W., & Yarrow, D. (1990). Yeast characteristics and identification (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. Barone, V., Baglieri, A., Stevanato, P., Broccanello, C., Bertoldo, G., Bertaggia, M., Cagnin, M., Pizzeghello, D., Moliterni, V. M. C., & Mandolino, G. (2018). Root morphological and molecular responses induced by microalgae extracts in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). Journal of Applied Phycology, 30, 1061–1071. Begum, M., Bordoloi, B. C., Singha, D. D., & Ojha, N. J. (2018). A role of seaweed extract on growth, yield and quality of some agricultural crops: A review. Agricultural Reviews, 39, 321–326. Copeland, L. O. (1976). Principles of seed science and technology. Burgess Publishing Company. Culver, M., Fanuel, T., & Chiteka, A. Z. (2012). Effect of Moringa extract on growth and yield of tomato. Greener Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 2(5), 207–211. Duncan, D. B. (1955). Multiple range and multiple F tests. Biometrics, 11(1), 1–42. Ehtaiwesh, A. F., & Yarboa, L. A. (2020). Testing of Moringa leaf extract (Moringa oleifera L.) as a seed priming agent in improving wheat germination under salinity. Libyan Journal of Basic Sciences, 10(1), 76–90. El-Arqan, M. V., El-Hamdi, K. H., Seleem, E. M., & El-Tantawy, I. M. (2002). Nutrient uptake of sugar beet as affected by NPK fertilization and soil salinity levels. Egyptian Journal of Soil Science, 42(4), 783–797. El-Award, A. (2003). Moringa tree: Nature's pharmacy. http://www.islamonline.net/english/Science/2003/02article06.shtml Ellis, R. A., & Roberts, E. H. (1981). The quantification of ageing and survival in orthodox seeds. Seed Science and Technology, 9, 373–409. FAO. (2026). FAOSTAT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/faostat/ Feghhenabi, F., Hadi, H., Khodaverdiloo, H., & Genuchten, M. T. (2020). Seed priming alleviated salinity stress during germination and emergence of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Agricultural Water Management, 231, 106022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106022 Godlewska, K., Michalak, I., Tuhy, A., & Chojnacka, K. (2016). Plant growth biostimulants based on different methods of seaweed extraction with water. BioMed Research International, 2016, Article 5973760. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/5973760 Gomez, K. A., & Gomez, A. A. (1984). Statistical procedures for agricultural research (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Hossain, M. S., Alam, M. I., Rahman, M. M., Mandal, P., Hasan, M. K., & Akter, S. (2021). Performance of different sugar beet genotypes under salinity stress. Asian Journal of Crop, Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 6(1), 213–220. https://doi.org/10.18801/ajcsp.060121.26 International Seed Testing Association. (2015). International rules for seed testing. ISTA. Karim, M. A., Utsunomiya, N., & Shigenaga, S. (1992). Effect of sodium chloride on germination and growth of hexaploid triticale at early seedling stage. Japanese Journal of Crop Science, 61, 279–284. Kasim, W. A., Abokassem, E. M., & Ragab, G. A. (2017). Ameliorative effect of yeast extract, IAA and green-synthesized nano zinc oxide on the growth of Cu-stressed Vicia faba seedlings. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Plant & Microbial Biotechnology and Their Role in the Development of the Society (pp. 1–16). Khan, S., Basra, S. M. A., Afzal, I., Nawaz, M., & Rehman, H. U. (2017). Growth-promoting potential of fresh and stored Moringa oleifera leaf extracts in improving seedling vigor, growth and productivity of wheat crop. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(35), 27601–27612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0336-0 Latif, H., & Mohamed, H. (2016). Exogenous applications of Moringa leaf extract affect retrotransposon, ultrastructural and biochemical contents of common bean plants under environmental stresses. South African Journal of Botany, 106, 221–226. Moreno, C., Seal, C., & Papenbrock, J. (2018). Seed priming improves germination in saline conditions for Chenopodium quinoa and Amaranthus caudatus. Agronomy and Crop Science, 204(1), 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1111/jac.12242 Munns, R. (2002). Comparative physiology of salt and water stress. Plant, Cell & Environment, 25, 239–250. Nagodawithana, W. T. (1991). Yeast technology. Van Nostrand Reinhold. Nemeat Alla, H. E. A., El-Geddawy, D. I. H., & Makhlouf, B. S. I. (2015). Effect of yeast application method and number on yield and quality of sugar beet under different levels of nitrogen. Journal of Plant Production, 6(9), 1475–1490. Noor-Ullah, S. M., Dash, P. K., & Mannan, M. A. (2018). Effect of salinity stress on the germination, growth and development of beet roots. Bangladesh Journal of Agriculture and Environment, 14(1), 1–8. Puglisi, I., Barone, V., Fragalà, F., Stevanato, P., Baglieri, A., & Vitale, A. (2020). Effect of microalgal extracts from Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus quadricauda on germination of Beta vulgaris seeds. Plants, 9(6), 675. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9060675 Raupp, J., & Oltmanns, M. (2006). Farmyard manure, plant-based organic fertilizers, inorganic fertilizer: Which sustains soil organic matter best? Aspects of Applied Biology, 79, 273–276. Ruan, S., Xue, Q., & Tylkowska, K. (2002). The influence of priming on germination of rice (Oryza sativa L.) seeds and seedling emergence and performance in flooded soil. Seed Science and Technology, 30, 61–67. Semida, W. M., & Rady, M. M. (2014). Pre-soaking in 24-epibrassinolide or salicylic acid improves seed germination, seedling growth, and antioxidant capacity in Phaseolus vulgaris L. grown under NaCl stress. Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 89, 338–342. Shahzad, U., Khan, M. A., Jaskani, M. J., Khan, I. A., & Korban, S. S. (2013). Genetic diversity and population structure of Moringa oleifera. Conservation Genetics, 14, 1161–1172. Shokouhian, A., & Omidi, H. (2021). Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) germination indices and physiological properties affected by priming and genotype under salinity stress. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 49(3), 12063. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha49312063 Spencer, T. F. T., Dorothy, S. M., & Smith, A. R. W. (1983). Yeast genetics: Fundamental and applied aspects. Springer-Verlag. Wanas, A. L. (2002). Response of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants to seed soaking application with natural yeast and carrot extracts. Annals of Agricultural Science, Moshtohor, 40(1), 83–102. Yang, Y., & Guo, Y. (2018). Unraveling salt stress signaling in plants. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 60, 796–804. https://doi.org/10.1111/jipb.12689 Zhang, X., & Ervin, E. H. (2004). Seaweed extract and humic acid contain cytokinins. Crop Science, 44(5), 1509–1510.
Statistics Article View: 141 PDF Download: 102