Seed priming using Moringa oleifera leaf decoction increases BPT 5204 rice yield

The present study screened different concentrations of Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) leaf decoction (M. oleifera hot water extract-MWE) (100, 10, 1, and 0.1 g/L) to investigate their potential in increasing the yield of BPT 5204 rice variety. We aimed to analyze the effect of MWE on rice yield with different modes of treatment such as seed soaking, root treatment, and foliar spray. Rice seeds were soaked at different concentrations of MWE for 24 h before seeding. Plants grown from rice seeds soaked in 100 g/L MWE produced 6.6 tons/ha yield, whereas, roots of rice seedlings soaked for 4 h in varied MWE concentrations before transplantation and plants treated with 100 g/L MWE produced an yield of 6 tons/ha. In the last group, 45 day old rice plants were subjected to foliar spray with varying concentrations of MWE, where the foliar spray of rice plants with 100 g/L MWE showed a 6.5 tons/ha yield. As plants grown from rice seeds soaked in 100 g/L MWE produced a high yield, the leaves from these plants were analyzed to study the effect of MWE treatment on phenylalanine lyase and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide levels and genes involved in rice yield. The leaves of plants grown from rice seeds soaked in 100 g/L MWE showed increased H2O2 and SAM2 gene levels compared to control plants. This study reports the potential role of MWE as an environmentally safe, cost-effective and easy-to-use biostimulant for enhancing yield of rice.