Saline stress and salicylic acid effects on germination and vigor of 'Biquinho' and 'Bode' pepper cultivars

Resumen

Salinity can impair seed germination and seedling development. Understanding plant tolerance to salinity and exploring alternatives to mitigate its adverse effects, such as the use of salicylic acid (SA), may enhance plant establishment in saline environments. This study aimed to evaluate seed germination and seedling development of the 'Biquinho’ and ‘Bode’ cultivars of Capsicum chinense Jacquin under different sodium chloride (NaCl) concentrations, with SA tested as a potential alleviator of salt stress. Treatments followed a 5 × 2 factorial design, with five salinity levels (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mM NaCl, corresponding to 0, 3.31, 5.71, 7.84, and 9.68 dS m⁻¹, respectively) combined with the presence or absence of SA. Evaluated parameters included the number of normal and abnormal seedlings, ungerminated seeds, root and shoot length, and total dry mass. Salinity reduced seed germination and seedling development in both cultivars. The 'Biquinho' pepper exhibited tolerance up to 30 mM NaCl, as shown by stable total dry mass and greater root growth in the presence of SA up to 60 mM NaCl. In contrast, the 'Bode' pepper was not tolerant to salinity during germination or seedling development, and SA did not mitigate its reduced germination percentage or shorter shoot length.