Paper Details

PJB-2026-1521

Effects of Pleurotus pulmonarius fermentation broth on the physiology of wheat during seed germination and seedling growth under salt stress

Xiangru Meng, Fengyun Wang, Ying Wang, Jinfang Lin, Qianmiao Wang, Ruonan Xu, Jiaxin Yuan, Yiying Zou, Shoucheng Huang and Yujun Sun
Abstract

---

This research investigated the influence of differing concentrations of Pleurotus pulmonarius fermentation broth (PP-FB) on the germination and seedling growth of wheat under salt stress conditions. Six treatment groups were established: sterile water (CK0), 0.8% NaCl (CK1), 2.0% PP-FB + 0.8% NaCl (F1), 1.0% PP-FB + 0.8% NaCl (F2), 0.5% PP-FB + 0.8% NaCl (F3) and 0.25% PP-FB + 0.8% NaCl (F4). Seeds of the wheat cultivar 'Jimai 22' were soaked for 12 hours, and parameters related to the germination period and seedling stage were measured. The results indicated that, in response to salt stress, the inclusion of 1.0% PP-FB resulted in improvements in wheat seed performance under salt stress conditions, with increases of 5.29% in germination rate, 47.37% in germination potential, and 44.28% in germination index compared to the salt stress control CK1. Compared to CK1, the root length, shoot length, dry weight and fresh weight of wheat seedlings showed increases of 93.98%, 106.35%, 87.23% and 87.40%, respectively. Furthermore, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in wheat seedlings decreased by 45.29% compared to CK1, while the contents of proline, soluble sugar, and soluble protein increased by 55.29%, 31.27% and 7.71%, respectively. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased by 6.33%. The levels of Chlorophyll a (Chl a), Chlorophyll b (Chl b), total Chlorophyll [Chl (a+b)] and Carotenoids (Car) were enhanced by 7.56%, 7.69%, 7.62% and 42.47%, respectively, in comparison to CK1. As a result, under salt stress, PP-FB can encourage wheat seed germination and seedling growth.

 

To Cite this article: Meng, X., F. Wang, Y. Wang, J. Lin, Q. Wang, R. Xu, J. Yuan, Y. Zou, S. Huang and Y. Sun. 2025. Effects of Pleurotus pulmonarius fermentation broth on the physiology of wheat during seed germination and seedling growth under salt stress. Pak. J. Bot., 58(2): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-2(25)  
Download PDF