Background and Objectives: Nepeta, a member of the Lamiaceae family, is of interest due to its valuable medicinal compounds, such as nepetalactone. The excessive harvesting of medicinal plants without due respect for their regeneration has led to many medicinal species becoming critically endangered. Rain-fed cultivation of this species can prevent its excessive harvesting from the natural habitats of this species. Iran is an arid and semi-arid region, and most of the agricultural lands are faced with drought stress. Drought stress is an important environmental factor that limits seed germination, growth, and productivity of temperate plant species. For the development of rain-fed cultivation of this species, it is necessary to examine its response to drought. Since Nepeta is particularly sensitive to drought stress during the germination stage, this study aimed to investigate the effect of seed priming on improving drought stress tolerance during the seed germination stage of three species of the genus Nepeta, including N. haussknechtii, N. glomerulosa, and N. cataria, to provide recommendations for the development of dryland cultivation of these species under drought conditions.
Methodology: In this study, the critical water potential point (induced by different concentrations of polyethylene glycol, PEG) for optimal germination was first determined to investigate the effectiveness of priming at that point. To determine the critical water potential point of each species, six water potential levels (0, -0.3, -0.6, -0.9, -1.2, and -1.5 MPa) were compared using a completely randomized design with three replications in 2023 at the Seed Technology Research Laboratory of the Iranian Natural Resources Gene Bank. Considering the significant reduction in germination at a potential of -0.6 MPa, it was concluded that -0.6 MPa is a critical point for optimal germination of Nepeta. Subsequently, the effectiveness of different seed priming techniques (hydropriming, osmopriming, and hormopriming) in reducing the adverse effects of drought stress (induced by -0.6 MPa PEG) on the germination characteristics of three Nepeta species, including N. haussknechtii, N. glomerulosa, and N. cataria, was investigated. Thus, the seeds were placed in the dark for two days in an incubator at 10°C in five priming treatments, including distilled water (hydropriming), PEG solutions of -0.3 MPa and 2 mM potassium nitrate (osmopriming), and gibberellin 50 and 100 ppm (hormopriming). After drying the seeds under laboratory conditions, germination of primed and unprimed seeds was examined for 21 days in a PEG solution with a potential of -0.6 MPa.
Results: The response of seeds of the three studied species to drought stress (induced by PEG) showed that increasing PEG concentration and decreasing water potential (increasing stress) by -0.3 MPa had a slight stimulating effect on improving germination. However, from -0.6 MPa potential onwards, the reduction in germination was significant, such that germination reached zero at -1.5 MPa potential. These results indicated that the drought tolerance threshold for optimal germination in the studied Nepeta species is a water potential of -0.6 MPa. Analysis of variance results showed that priming treatments had a highly significant (p < 0.01) effect on germination percentage, germination rate, mean germination time, vigor index, and radicle length in all species under drought stress. The results showed that primed seeds of all species had higher germination performance under drought stress conditions compared to the control (non-primed). Cumulative germination curves and daily germination rates also confirmed improved and more synchronized germination in primed seeds. Based on the data presented, in N. haussknechtii, hydropriming, potassium nitrate, and gibberellin 100 ppm treatments, in N. glomerulosa, gibberellin 100 ppm and 50 ppm treatments, and in N. cataria, hydropriming and gibberellin 100 ppm and 50 ppm treatments were the most effective treatments in increasing seed vigor. These differences emphasize the dependence of the response to priming on the specific genotype of each species.
Conclusion: In the studied Nepeta species, priming is an essential strategy for cultivation in dryland conditions or areas with intermittent drought stress. This technique not only increases the chances of germination by crossing the critical point of -0.6 MPa, but also provides a solid foundation for continued growth and survival of the plant by producing stronger and more uniform seedlings. Its positive response to priming, especially in the seedling vigor and growth index, indicates that application this simple technique can led to successful establishment and increased yield of this valuable medicinal plant. |