Water-deficit stress poses tremendous constraints to sustainable agriculture, particularly under abrupt climate change. Hence, it is crucial to find eco-friendly approaches to 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 of maize under various irrigation regimes. Laboratory trials evaluated the influence of seed halo-priming using two concentrations of sodium chloride solution, 4000 and 8000 ppm NaCl, versus unprimed seeds on seed germination and seedling vigor parameters. Field trials investigated the impact of halo-priming treatments on maize yield and water use efficiency (WUE) under four irrigation regimes comprising excessive (120% of estimated crop evapotranspiration, ETc), normal (100% ETc), and deficit (80 and 60% ETc) irrigation regimes. Over-irrigation by 20% did not produce significantly more grain yield but considerably reduced WUE. Deficit irrigation (80 and 60%ETc) gradually reduced grain yield and its attributes. Halo-priming treatments, particularly 4000 ppm NaCl, improved uniformity and germination speed, increased germination percentage and germination index, and produced more vigorous seedlings with heavier dry weight compared with unprimed seeds. Under field conditions, the plants originated from halo-primed seeds, especially with 4000 ppm NaCl, had higher grain yield and WUE compared with unprimed seeds under deficit irrigation regimes. The long-lasting stress memory induced by seed halo-priming, particularly with 4000 ppm NaCl, promoted maize seedling establishment, grain yield, and WUE and consequently mitigated the devastating impacts of drought stress.

中文翻译：

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种子晕引发提高不同灌溉制度下玉米的幼苗活力、谷物产量和水分利用效率

缺水压力对可持续农业构成巨大限制，尤其是在气候突然变化的情况下。因此，找到提高耐旱性的环保方法至关重要，尤其是对于玉米等敏感作物。本研究旨在评估种子晕引发对不同灌溉制度下玉米幼苗活力、谷物产量和水分利用效率的影响。实验室试验评估了使用两种浓度的氯化钠溶液（4000 和 8000 ppm NaCl）与未引发的种子相比，种子晕引发对种子发芽和幼苗活力参数的影响。田间试验调查了在四种灌溉制度下，晕引发处理对玉米产量和水分利用效率 (WUE) 的影响，包括过量（估计作物蒸散量的 120%，ETc）、正常（100% ETc）、和亏缺（80% 和 60% ETc）灌溉制度。过度灌溉 20% 不会显着增加谷物产量，但会显着降低 WUE。缺水灌溉（80% 和 60%ETc）逐渐降低了粮食产量及其属性。与未引发的种子相比，Halo-priming 处理，特别是 4000 ppm NaCl，提高了均匀度和发芽速度，提高了发芽率和发芽指数，并产生了更旺盛的幼苗，干重更重。在田间条件下，与亏缺灌溉制度下未引发的种子相比，源自晕轮引发的种子，尤其是 4000 ppm NaCl 的植物具有更高的谷物产量和 WUE。种子晕引发引起的持久胁迫记忆，特别是在 4000 ppm NaCl 的情况下，促进了玉米幼苗的建立、籽粒产量、