Editor's note Sadly, Dr3John Dawson died on the 20th ofDecember 1990. For manyyears Dr Dawson had extensive interest and involvement, via his position at the Bn'tish Medical Association, with a number ofnational and international groups devoted to tackling the problems associated with 'torture and the medical profession'. He was instumental in the production ofthe firstBMA Torture Report and, a...

Environmental stress factors have a very complex effect on the growth and parameters of plants. Therefore, special analytical techniques such as SEM-PLS can better understand between observational variables abiotic factors. present study was aimed to evaluate the, directly indirectly, effects biochemical sweet corn seed yield, which primed with different melatonin doses grown under soil salinit...

The current study is a field experiment set out to comprehend significance of the iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles for use as seed priming agents and their subsequent impact in alleviating water stress improving agronomic profile flax plants. experimental layout consisted split-plot factorial design with one main plot divided into two subplots corresponding drought well-irrigated environment. Each...

Myrmecochory is the process of seed dispersal by ants; however, it is highly challenging to study, mainly because of the small size of both partners and the comparatively large range of dispersal. The mutualistic interaction between ants and seeds involves the former retrieving diaspores, consuming their elaiosome (a nutrient-rich appendage), and the rejection of seeds from the nest. Here, we i...

Abstract High-yielding rice cultivars exhibit a great performance in non-saline fields; however, their growth and productivity are greatly reduced salt-affected lands. Humic acid has promising stress-mitigating potential can be effective improving salt tolerance salinity sensitive cultivars. Herein, seeds of Giza 177 (high-yielding but salt-sensitive cultivar) were primed 40 mg/l humic acid, so...

Water-deficit stress poses tremendous constraints to sustainable agriculture, particularly under abrupt climate change. Hence, it is crucial find eco-friendly approaches ameliorate drought tolerance, especially for sensitive crops such as maize. This study aimed at assessing the impact of seed halo-priming on seedling vigor, grain yield, and water use efficiency maize various irrigation regimes...

Hydrotime is a way to describe the relationship between water potential (ψ) and seed germination rates and percentages. The minimum ψ that allows germination to be completed is called the base water potential (ψb). The germination rate (inverse of time to radicle emergence) increases linearly as the seed ψ increases above ψb to its maximum rate in water (ψ = 0 MPa). As ψb values vary among indi...