Seed Priming with Vegetal Protein Hydrolysate Enhances Germination and Early Seedling Growth in Cucumis sativus L.

Abstract

Cucumber is widely cultivated worldwide, occupying significant agricultural acreage. The present research aims to evaluate the seed priming potential of Vegetal Protein Hydrolysate (VPH) to improve early seedling growth and seed germination of cucumber. We assessed two concentrations of VPH (2 and 4 mL L-1) under normal and salt stress conditions, with water as the control treatment. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized factorial design. The cucumber seeds were primed for 4, 8, and 12 h, followed by observing seed germination traits, including germination rate index, mean germination time, germination percentage, vigorous index-2, and early seedling growth traits. Based on the results, VPH treatments with low concertation significantly affected morphological traits in cucumber seed germination. We found the apparent priming potential of VPH to improve early seedling growth and seed germination in cucumbers with different morphological features. Seed priming with VPH significantly improved germination traits and chlorophyll in salt stress conditions compared to the control treatment. The results showed that the seed germination was affected by priming durations of 4 and 8 h. However, the extended exposure to the same concentration (12 h) inhibited the seed germination process, thereby inducing a higher level of stress intensity in the seedlings. Thus, VPH seed priming can be regarded as a bio-stimulant for enhancing early seedling growth and seed germination in cucumbers. These results can assist in preparing vegetal protein-based compounds and improve vegetable production in greenhouses and plastic tunnels.