Effect of Pre-Sowing Seed Priming Treatment by Using Botanical Extract on Sesame

Abstract

Seed priming by utilizing aqueous plant extracts presents an economical, environmentally- friendly method to enhance crop establishment and initial growth. This research assessed the impact of pre-sowing priming with extracts from four desert species Haloxylon salicornicum, Prosopis cineraria, Pongamia pinnata and Aerva javanica on the morphological and phytochemical responses of two sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) varieties white sesame   and black sesame  The experiment took place at Botanical Garden and Laboratory, Institute of Botany, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, following a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). Seeds underwent priming with their respective extracts, air-dried, and then planted in pots, while untreated seeds served as control group. Growth and phytochemical parameters were collected after harvest. Priming considerably boosted vegetative development, augmenting stem and root length, as well as fresh and dry weights of stems, roots and leaves in comparison to the control group. A. javanica typically yielded the highest increases in fresh biomass and stem and root growth, while P. pinnata and A. javanica proved most effective for dry biomass, variable by plant organ. Leaf area responses differed by variety, peaking in control for   and under P. cineraria for Generally, priming leads to a reduction in phenolic and tannin content across all organs compared to control group. These findings affirm that seed priming with desert plants extracts is a viable and sustainable approach for enhancing sesame growth and phytochemical quality, particularly in water-scarce environment.