Effect of Stimulating Garden Cress Seeds with Distilled Water, Ascorbic Acid, and Citric Acid on Seedling Growth and Germination under Salt Stress Conditions

Abstract

A factorial experiment with three factors was conducted in the laboratories of the College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Diyala, following a completely randomized design with three repetitions. The experiment took place from January 15th to January 25th, 2025, to investigate the impact of soaking garden cress seeds in non-enzymatic antioxidants. The results demonstrated the superiority of soaking with distilled water, achieving the highest values in germination percentage, root length, shoot length, fresh weight of seedlings, and seedling vigor, recording 66.66%, 8.33 cm, 3.66 cm, 0.272 g, and 289 g, respectively. The most effective concentration was found to be 3NaCl combined with distilled water. Additionally, soaking in ascorbic acid significantly enhanced the germination percentage and dry weight of the seedlings, reaching 66.66% and 0.057 g, respectively, with irrigation using 3NaCl. On the other hand, soaking with citric acid and irrigation with 5NaCl resulted in the lowest values for all traits, indicating a negative impact on seedling development. These findings highlight the potential of using specific antioxidants in optimizing the growth and vigor of garden cress under saline conditions, providing insights for enhancing agricultural productivity.