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Comparing the Positive Impacts and Stress Induction by Polyethylene Glycol (PEG 6000) Variable Levels on Canola (Brassica napus L.) Growth, Yield, and Oil Contents

Published Article

Global

Publication date: July 31, 2023

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A study conducted in Multan, Pakistan evaluates how PEG 6000 seed priming affects canola performance. Results show that low PEG levels significantly improve germination, plant growth, chlorophyll content, and oil quality in two Brassica napus varieties, highlighting PEG priming as a promising technique for boosting crop productivity.

Subject Tags

  • Climate adaptation
  • Agriculture

Abstract

Seed quality (i.e., emergence energy, viability, physical purity, size, weight) is a critical factor that influences the yield of crops. Poor seed quality can lead to reduced germination rates, lower plant populations, and, ultimately, lower crop yields. On the other hand, seed priming is suggested to be an effective technique for improving seeds germination and plant population. In this study, we investigated the effect of seed priming with polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the germination, growth, and yield of two varieties of canola, super canola, and sandal canola. The treatment plan includes five concentrations of PEG (i.e., 5, 10, 15, 20%), distilled water priming, and control (no priming). All of the treatments were applied in 3 replications following a completely randomized design. Our results showed that seed priming with 5%PEG (T2) significantly improved radicle length (50 and 36%), plant height (43 and 34%), chlorophyll a (44 and 43%), chlorophyll b (120 and 208%), and total chlorophyll (83 and 111%) compared to control in super canola and sandal canola, respectively. In particular, seed priming with 5%PEG resulted in the highest increase in protein contents (25 and 1.40%), oleic acid (26 and 40%), and linolenic acid (6 and 6%) compared to control in super canola and sandal canola, respectively. It is concluded that seed priming with 5%PEG is an effective treatment to improve the performance of canola crops in terms of seedling growth, yield, chlorophyll, protein, and oil content. More investigations are recommended as future perspectives using other canola varieties to declare 5% PEG as an effective treatment for canola for improvement in growth, oil, protein, and chlorophyll contents.

Citation

Elahi, N. N., Farrukh, N. U. A., Jalaluddin, S., Ahmed, H. M., Saima, S., Mustafa, S., ... & Danish, S. (2023). Comparing the positive impacts and stress induction by polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) variable levels on Canola (Brassica Napus L.) growth, yield, and oil contents. ACS omega, 8(32), 29046-29059.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c02066

TNC Authors

  • Martin Battaglia
    The Nature Conservancy