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Article

Effect of Hydropriming on Seedling Growth of Different Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Landraces

1
Crop Science, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa
2
Centre for Transformative Agriculture and Food Systems, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2025, 15(6), 1301; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061301
Submission received: 14 April 2025 / Revised: 14 May 2025 / Accepted: 24 May 2025 / Published: 26 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Plant-Crop Biology and Biochemistry)

Abstract

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) is a drought-tolerant, underutilised legume with the potential to improve food security, but its slow, uneven germination due to hard seed coats constrains cultivation. This study investigated the effects of hydropriming (0, 12, 24, and 36 h) on the seed imbibition, emergence, and early seedling growth in four landraces (NW, Nov4, ARC, and 519) under greenhouse conditions. The results showed genotype-specific variation in the water uptake, with Genotype 519 exhibiting the highest water imbibition (17.31%) at 36 h, while NW displayed slower but steadier hydration (13.51%). These differences reflect contrasting seed coat permeability and hydration strategies, which influenced the subsequent emergence patterns. Hydropriming significantly reduced the time to emergence (50% emergence by Day 5 in NW) and increased the seedling vigour. After 9 days of growth, the shoot length increased from 7.8 cm to 12.7 cm, the root length from 11.6 cm to 18.1 cm, and the dry mass from 0.38 g to 0.67 g. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed significant effects (p < 0.01) of the genotype, the priming duration, and their interaction on traits such as the root length, dry mass, and root-to-shoot ratio. PCA identified the whole-plant dry mass, root dry mass, and root-to-shoot ratio as key contributors to performance. Pearson correlation showed a strong positive association (r = 1.0, p < 0.001) between the priming duration and seedling biomass, although the extended imbibition time may partially explain this trend. Hydropriming, particularly for 36 h, showed promise in promoting early growth, indicating that it is a favourable low-cost intervention. Field-level validation is recommended to assess the practical scalability under diverse environmental conditions.
Keywords: underutilised crop; germination; legume; drought resilience; climate-smart agriculture underutilised crop; germination; legume; drought resilience; climate-smart agriculture

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chisa, A.L.; Mandizvo, T.; Odindo, A.; Mafongoya, P. Effect of Hydropriming on Seedling Growth of Different Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Landraces. Agronomy 2025, 15, 1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061301

AMA Style

Chisa AL, Mandizvo T, Odindo A, Mafongoya P. Effect of Hydropriming on Seedling Growth of Different Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Landraces. Agronomy. 2025; 15(6):1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061301

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chisa, Anne Linda, Takudzwa Mandizvo, Alfred Odindo, and Paramu Mafongoya. 2025. "Effect of Hydropriming on Seedling Growth of Different Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Landraces" Agronomy 15, no. 6: 1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061301

APA Style

Chisa, A. L., Mandizvo, T., Odindo, A., & Mafongoya, P. (2025). Effect of Hydropriming on Seedling Growth of Different Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) Landraces. Agronomy, 15(6), 1301. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15061301

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