Insights into seeds priming effects using a magnetic field and algal treatments on growth and productivity of faba bean under salinity stress conditions

Soil fertility and crop productivity in the Nile Delta are severely threatened by soil salinization. Hence, the development of reliable techniques to enhance the salinity tolerance of plants is an essential prerequisite for the desirable sustainable agricultural development in Egypt. In the present study, we evaluated the influence of seeds priming using a magnetic field (MF) at different exposure times (0, 15, 30, and 45 min), either alone or combined with seeds pre-soaking or foliar spraying with seaweed extracts of Hydroclathrus clathratus and Acanthophora spicifera. The effects on soil properties, growth, yield, and seed quality of Vicia faba grown in saline soil were assessed. Results indicated that MF-treated seeds (MFTS), either alone or coupled with seaweed treatments, distinctly improved soil characterization by decreasing EC and pH niches, and also increased the availability of soil macro- and micronutrient elements, particularly at MF long exposure time (≥30 min). MFTS and/or MFTS with seaweed treatments at 30 min improved soil fertility indices (CO2 evolution and nitrogenase activity) and induced the highest increases of macro- and micro-nutrient contents in seeds, plant growth and seed quality. Additionally, enhancement of chlorophyll a and b, carbohydrates and amino acids, and decreasing proline levels were the bases of salinity stress alleviation. Conclusively, seed priming in the MF coupled with foliar spraying of seaweed extracts could be a sustainable and affordable approach for cultivating V. faba plants under salinity stress conditions.