Accelerating seed germination and seedling development of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) through hydro-priming

Mali is a Sahelian country in West Africa, characterized by a strong dependence on rain-fed agriculture and a low adaptive capacity, making it one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change worldwide. Moreover, most climate models used for the region recognize a growing uncertainty in the onset of the rainy season, which demands urgent adaptation measures. Early-season drought limits crops germination, and hence growth, and yield during rain-fed depending production as commonly experienced nowadays in Mali. Crops germination and establishment could be improved by using seed priming, a process through which dry seeds take up water to initiate the primary stages of germination. The effects of hydro-priming (distilled, tap, rain, river and well water) were evaluated for three priming durations (4, 8 and 12 hours) in 2014 and 2015. Seed germination and seedling development of nine sorghum genotypes were monitored. Compared to non-primed seed treatments, hydro-priming significantly im...