The Effects of Osmatic Conditioning Treatments with Methyl Jasmonate and Seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) Extract on Germination and Average Germination Duration of Pepper Seeds at Low Temperatures

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of some pre-treat-ments against lower heat stress in Demre Sivri and Yalova Çarliston pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) seeds. For osmotic conditioning with Methyl Jasmonate (MeJA), pepper seeds were subjected to 0.5 and 1.0 mM MeJA for 1, 2 and 3 days. For osmatic conditioning (OC) with seaweed extract, pepper seeds were subjected to 1:500 seaweed extract at 20°C for 1, 2 and 3 days. Following the treatments seeds were taken to germination tests at 15 and 20°C. MeJA and sea-weed. OC treatments improved the germination rates of Demre Sivri and Yalova Çarliston pepper cultivars at 20°C and reduced the germination durations. The greatest germination rate at 20°C was observed as 96.5% in Demre and as 95.25% in Yalova Çarliston cultivars from the 1 day OC treatment with seaweed. Germination rates of control seeds at 20C were respectively observed as 84.0 and 85.5%. The greatest germination rate at 15°C was observed as 93.0% from 1 day 0.5 mM MeJA OC treatment of Demre Sivri cultivar and as 90.5% from 1 day seaweed OC treatment of Yalova Çarliston cultivar. Germination rates of control seeds at 15°C were respectively observed as 79.5 and 80.0%. The present results revealed that OC treatments with MeJA and seaweed extracts at low tem-peratures (15 and 20 ºC) improved the germination percentages and reduced the mean germination times of Demre Sivri and Yalova Çarliston pepper cultivars.