Effect of Soil Moisture Levels (Drought vs. Well-Watered) on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66553/japr.2026.137Keywords:
Drought stress, Field capacity, Seed germination, Soil moisture, Seedling growthAbstract
Seedling establishment and, therefore, crop productivity is influenced by water availability at early growth stages. The effects of three soil moisture treatments, well-watered (80–100% field capacity; FC), moderate drought (50% FC) and severe drought (25% FC), on seed germination and early seedling growth of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in controlled pot-culture conditions were studied. The germination percentage, mean germination time and germination index were measured during a 10-day period after sowing, while growth parameters of seedlings (shoot and root length, dry biomass, relative water content) were measured at 21 DAS. The percentage of germination and the speed of germination were significantly decreased with soil water deficit and became less than half of that in the well-watered controls in severe drought conditions. Shoot elongation and total biomass accumulation were also severely reduced under drought stress, whereas root length had a slight increase during moderate drought, suggesting drought avoidance strategy as an increase in root length in order to access water from deeper layers; this was not consistent during severe drought as the overall growth was down. The RWC decreased gradually as the water deficit increased, indicating dehydration of cells and loss of turgor. The results support the assumption that soil moisture availability is one of the most significant constraints for seed germination and establishment and can have implications for irrigation scheduling, seed-bed management and the variety or cultivar selection in water-limited agricultural systems.
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