Assessing the Effects of Seed Priming on the Tolerance of Sugar Beet Varieties to Salt and Drought Stress Using Plant Phenotyping Methods

Abstract

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is a vital global crop, with Türkiye being the fifth-largest producer, contributing about 10% of the world’s supply. The Konya Basin accounts for 35% of Türkiye’s production. This region faces significant drought and salt challenges. In a study, six commonly grown sugar beet varieties in Konya (‘Lider’, ‘Libellule’, ‘Lizard’, ‘Mohican’, ‘Bison’, and ‘Rodeo’) were subjected to NaCl and PEG priming under salt and drought stress. ‘Lizard’ had the highest germination rate of 75.5% for NaCl-primed seeds, while ‘Bison’ reached 80.5% for PEG-primed seeds. The varieties varied in their germination rates, morphological traits, and photosynthetic parameters. NaCl-priming slightly increased leaf area under salt stress, PEG-priming improved stomatal conductance in ‘Bison’ under drought conditions. Overall, priming had limited effectiveness in alleviating stress impacts on sugar beet varieties, indicating a need for further research on the efficacy of priming methods and their integration with other mitigation strategies.