Screening of thirteen salt-tolerant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) accessions during germination

Screening of thirteen salt-tolerant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) accessions during germination | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Screening of thirteen salt-tolerant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) accessions during germination Christiane Fokoua Djocne, Edwige Teufack Lekeumo, Nono Carine Temegne, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8485223/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Soil salinity is one of the most important production constraints. Many studies have attempted to find a solution to this problem. The general objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of salinity on cowpea seed germination. Two salt concentrations (0 control and 150 µM NaCl) and thirteen varieties were tested in the laboratory following randomized complete block design with three replicates per treatment. The number of germinated seeds was recorded every until the eighth day, when the germination parameters were evaluated. The results indicate that the germination percentage (GP), the germination index, the seed vigour index, the germination vigour index, the velocity coefficient and the emergence rate decreased significantly (p˂0.05) in the saline treatment, while the latency time, the 50% germination time (T) and mean germination time increased. Thus, on day 8, the PG of V1(IR15M02) was 83.33% and 43.33% for 0 and 150 µM respectively. The T increased by 55.67% to 150 µM compared to 0 µM in V11(LORI). Seedling length decreased from 8.30 cm in control to 2.00 cm at 150 µM in V10(LOCAL3GG). The classification of varieties resulted in four groups: group 1 consisting of susceptible V1(IR15M02), V6(IR15MA33), V10(LOCAL3GG), V11(LORI) and V12(MTA22); group 2 corresponding to moderately susceptible V2(IR16MAK), V4(TILIGRE), V8(LOCAL3PG) and V9(BRI); group 3 comprising moderately tolerant V7(LOCAL3fbt) and group 4 including V3(WIBALI), V5(IR16MAP) and V13(KOMCALLE), which are tolerant to salinity at the germination stage. The varieties in groups 3 and 4 can therefore be recommended for their tolerance to salinity during germination. dendrogram germination NaCl salinity Vigna unguiculata Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 1 Introduction According to the United Nations Organisation publication, approximately 720 million people suffered from hunger in 2024, representing 8.8% of the world’s population. Although this represents a slight decrease compared to previous years, the situation remains worrying, especially in Africa, where hunger is on the rise due to wars, climate change and economic difficulties [ 1 ]. In addition, the world’s population is constantly growing. However, this population increase far outstrips that of agricultural production. Thus, the challenge for agricultural research is to work to increase crop and soil production while protecting the environment. In this regard, cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) could play an important role. Indeed, grain legumes, particularly cowpea, play a key socio-economic role in tropical Africa, where they are a traditional part of the local diet [ 2 , 3 ]. They are introduced into rotation and crop rotation systems with grasses [ 4 , 5 ]. Cowpeas are rich in protein (26%), fibre (42%), magnesium (37%), iron (30%), B vitamins, etc. [ 6 ]. However, despite consumption needs, there has been a decline in legume production in Cameroon since the 1980s. The low production of cowpea is linked to biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic (nutritional stress, water stress, salinity, etc.) constraints [ 7 , 8 ]. In addition, a gradual decline in arable land in coastal, arid and semi-arid areas caused by salt accumulation due to insufficient rainfall, proximity to the sea, poor drainage and prolonged droughts is being observed globally and in Cameroon in particular. Furthermore, in 2024, 1.4 billion hectares of land (~ 10% of the total land area of the globe) are already affected by salinisation [ 9 ]. Salinity negatively affects the physical, chemical and biological properties of cultivated soils and, in turn, the agronomic potential of the soil. In Cameroon, the South-West, Littoral, South, Adamaoua, North and Far North regions have high salt concentrations [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Several studies show that by 2050, this salinity due to sodium chloride will affect more than 50% of arable land [ 13 ]. Effective management of saline cultivated land requires the restoration of fertility through amendments; the elimination of excess salts; the suppression of the source of NaCl; and the use of salt-tolerant cultivars. The use of tolerant cultivars is an essential feature of most breeding programmes and a reliable control tool that takes ecological and economic factors into account. Variety selection is therefore one of the most appropriate solutions for solving the problem of salinity in this work. In addition, the identification of salt-tolerant varieties would be more economically efficient for the exploitation of soils affected by salt stress. Apart from the work of [ 14 ], no study has been conducted on the selection of cowpea varieties tolerant to salinity during germination in Cameroon. Furthermore, these authors used ten cowpea accessions that were different from those tested in this study. The overall objective of this study is therefore to assess the effect of salinity on cowpea seed germination in the laboratory. 2 Material and methods 2.1 Biological material The biological material consisted of seeds from thirteen (13) varieties of cowpea from the accession collection of the IRAD (Agricultural Research Institute for Development) in Foumbot, Maroua, and from women farmers in the West (Fig. 1 , Table 1 ). These seeds were provided by IRAD and did not need a license for usage by customers (farmers, producers, researchers, etc.) and are free to utilize. Table 1 Visual characteristics of the accessions used. Var: variety Var Names Seed color Appearance seed Shape seed Seed size Eye color V1 IR15M02 White Rough oval Large Black-white V2 IR16MAK White Rough oval Large Black-white V3 WIBALI White Rough oval Large Red - white V4 TILIGRE White Rough oval Large Black-white V5 IR16MAP White Rough oval Average White-black V6 IR15MA33 White Rough oval Large White-black V7 LOCAL3fbt Brown Smooth oval Small Black-white V8 LOCAL3PG Light brown Smooth oval Very small Black-white V9 BRI White Rough oval Large Black-white V10 LOCAL3GG Brown Smooth oval Small Black-white V11 LORI White Rough oval Large Black-white V12 MTA22 Brown Smooth speckled oval Small Black-white V13 KOMCALLE White Rough oval Average Black-white 3 Methods 3.1 Evaluation of the effect of salt stress on seed germination parameters The saline solution was prepared by dissolving 8.77 g of NaCl in one liter of distilled water [ 15 , 16 ]. The solutions prepared correspond respectively to: − 0 mM NaCl consisting of distilled water used as a control and − 150 mM NaCl used to induce salt stress. The cowpea varieties were selected by sorting the seeds to ensure they were vigorous, without malformations or perforations. They were then disinfected with a 70° alcohol solution for 1 minute and rinsed three times with distilled water. The sterilized seeds were then placed in Petri dishes that have been labeled and lined with filter paper to allow for good distribution of the solution and air, at a rate of 10 seeds per dish. Each treatment was repeated three times. A total of 78 Petri dishes were used, at a rate of 39 per treatment, for a total of 780 seeds, or 390 seeds for each treatment. Five (5) mL of each prepared solution were taken using a Pasteur pipette and used to moisten the Petri dishes containing the disinfected seeds as needed. These dishes were then incubated in the laboratory at 25 ± 3°C under a 12/12 photoperiod using a randomized complete block design with three factors: NaCl concentrations (0 and 150 mM), varieties (V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V11, V12, and V13) and blocks. Germination was noted when the radicle emerges from the seed coat and was at least 2 mm long. Germinated seeds were counted every day for 8 days. Then, the length of the radicle, the length of the stem, and the number of secondary roots were evaluated randomly in each treatment (3 replicates/treatment) on the 8th day, allowing the germination parameters to be calculated. 3.2 Evaluation of seed germination parameters The germination percentage (GP) is the ratio between the number of germinated seeds and the total number of germinated seeds multiplied by one hundred. It was obtained using the following formula [ 17 ]: GP (%) = \(\:\frac{\left(\text{n}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{r}\text{o}\text{u}\text{t}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{s}\text{e}\text{e}\text{d}\text{s}\:\right)}{\left(\text{n}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{s}\text{e}\text{e}\text{d}\text{s}\:\text{g}\text{e}\text{r}\text{m}\text{i}\text{n}\text{a}\text{t}\text{e}\text{d}\right)}x\:100.\) The germination index (GI) is the weighted sum of the daily number of germinated seeds. [ 18 ]. GI= \(\:\left[\frac{\text{N}^\circ\:\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{g}\text{e}\text{r}\text{m}\text{i}\text{n}\text{a}\text{t}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{s}\text{e}\text{e}\text{d}\text{s}\:\text{a}\text{t}\:\text{f}\text{i}\text{r}\text{s}\text{t}\:\text{c}\text{o}\text{u}\text{n}\text{t}}{\text{d}\text{a}\text{y}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{f}\text{i}\text{r}\text{s}\text{t}\:\text{c}\text{o}\text{u}\text{n}\text{t}}\right]+\dots\:+\left[\frac{\text{N}^\circ\:\:\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{r}\text{o}\text{u}\text{t}\text{s}\:\text{a}\text{t}\:\text{f}\text{i}\text{n}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{c}\text{o}\text{u}\text{n}\text{t}}{final\:count\:day}\right]\) This is the time (TL) required (in days) to observe the first germinated seed [ 19 ]. The 50% germination time (T 50 ) corresponds to the time required to obtain 50% of the germination capacity of the batch [ 19 ]. Germination duration (GD) is the time (in days) between the first germination of the experimental batch and the last germination of that batch [ 20 ]. The velocity coefficient (VC) [ 21 ] defines the speed of germination as a function of time. VC = \(\:\frac{(\text{G}1+\:\text{G}2\:\:+\:\cdots\:\:+\:\text{G}\text{n})}{(1\text{x}\text{G}1\:\:+\:2\text{x}\text{G}2\:\:+\:\cdots\:\:+\:\text{n}\text{x}\text{G}\text{n})}\:x\:100\) Where: G = Number of germinated seeds and n = Last day of germination. The average (mean) germination time (MGT) is the sum (from 1 to n) of the products of the number of seeds germinated and the day on which they germinated, divided by the total number of seeds germinated at the end of the test [ 22 ]. MGT = \(\:\frac{\sum\:\left(\text{D}\text{n}\right)}{\sum\:\text{n}}\) Where: n = the number of seeds germinated each day and D = the day of counting. The seed vigor index (SVI) was determined according to [ 23 ]. SVI = Seedling length (cm) x GP (germination percentage) The germination vigor index (GVI) was determined as follows [ 24 ]: GVI = Root length (cm) x GI (germination index) The emergence rate (EV) was determined by the formula [ 25 ]: EV = \(\:\frac{\text{N}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{g}\text{e}\text{r}\text{m}\text{i}\text{n}\text{a}\text{t}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{s}\text{e}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{a}\text{t}\:\text{t}\text{h}\text{e}\:\text{f}\text{i}\text{r}\text{s}\text{t}\:\text{d}\text{a}\text{y}\:}{\text{N}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{g}\text{e}\text{r}\text{m}\text{i}\text{n}\text{a}\text{t}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{s}\text{e}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{a}\text{t}\:\text{t}\text{h}\text{e}\:\text{l}\text{a}\text{s}\text{t}\:\text{d}\text{a}\text{y}\:}\) 4 Data analysis The collected data was subjected to ANOVA using R Studio software version 4.0.5. The mean comparison test was performed using Duncan’s test at a 5% threshold. Data that did not meet the ANOVA assumptions (normality and homogeneity of variance) were analysed using the non-parametric Chi-square (X 2 ) test. Principal component analysis (representations of individuals) and dendrograms were performed using R Studio software. Graphical representations were created using Microsoft Excel. 5 Results 5.1 Effect of salt stress on seed germination parameters NaCl significantly reduced (p < 0.001) the germination percentage of cowpea seeds (Fig. 2 , Table 2 ). Thus, on day 6, it decreased by 48% compared to the control at V1. The germination index decreased significantly (p˂0.001) with salt treatment except at V5, V8, V9 and V10 (Fig. 3 ). Thus, at V1, from 0 to 150 µM, it decreased from 14.51 to 7.1 Table 2 Effect of salinity and variety on the germination percentage of cowpea seeds over time. Var.: varieties, V1 = IR15M02, V2 = IR16MAK, V3 = WIBALI, V4 = TILIGRE, V5 = IR16MAP, V6 = IR15MA33, V7 = LOCAL3fbt, V8 = LOCAL3PG, V9 = BRI, V10 = LOCAL3GG, V11 = LORI, V12 = MTA22, V13 = KOMCALLE. Treatment effect : for each day, by variety, the means ± standard deviations with the same letters (uppercase) are not significantly different at the 5% threshold. Variety effect : for each day and for each salt concentration, the means ± standard deviations with the same letters (lowercase) are not significantly different at the 5% threshold of Duncan's test PEG Var. Time (day) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 T0 V1 3.3 ± 5.8 Ab 4.30 ± 32.4 Abcd 70.0 ± 26.4 Aabc 83.3 ± 15.2 Aa 83.3 ± 15.3 Aa 83.3 ± 15.3 Abc 83.3 ± 15.3 Abc 83.3 ± 15.3 Abc V2 6.7 ± 5.80 Ab 56.7 ± 25.1 Aabcd 83.3 ± 20.8 Aabc 90.0 ± 17.3 Aa 93.3 ± 11,5 Aa 93.3 ± 11.5 Aab 93.3 ± 115 Aab 93.3 ± 11.5 Aab V3 10.0 ± 10.0 Ab 86.7 ± 15.3 Aab 93.3 ± 11.5 Aab 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa V4 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 80.0 ± 0.0 Aabc 90.0 ± 0.0 Aab 90.0 ± 0.0 Aa 90.0 ± 0.0 Aa 90.0 ± 0.0 Aabc 90.0 ± 0.0 Aabc 90.0 ± 0.0 Aabc V5 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 90.0 ± 17.3 Aa 100. 0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa V6 10.0 ± 17.3 Ab 66.6 ± 15.3 Aabcd 83.3 ± 5.8 Aabc 93.4 ± 5.8 Aa 93.3 ± 5.8 Aa 93.3 ± 5.8 Aab 93.3 ± 5.8 Aab 93.3 ± 5.8 Aab V7 20.0 ± 17.3 Ab 80.0 ± 10.0 Aabc 80.0 ± 0.0 Aabc 96.7 ± 5.8 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa V8 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 30.0 ± 34.6 Ad 53.3 ± 40.4 Ac 60.0 ± 34.7 Ab 60.0 ± 34.6 Ac 86.7 ± 34.7 Aabc 86.7 ± 34.7 Aabc 86.7 ± 34.7 Aabc V9 10.0 ± 17.3 Ab 90.0 ± 100.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 5.8 Aa 100.0 ± 5.8 Aa 100.0 ± 5.8 Aa 100.0 ± 5.8 Aa 100.0 ± 5.8 Aa V10 3.3 ± 5.8 Ab 40.0 ± 34.6 Acd 63.3 ± 28.9 ABC 76.7 ± 15.3 Aab 76.7 ± 15.3 Aab 76.6 ± 15.3 Ac 76.6 ± 15.3 Ac 76.6 ± 15.3 Ac V11 6.7 ± 5.8 Ab 15.5 ± 15.3 Aab 93.3 ± 11.5 Aab 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa V12 56.7 ± 49.3 Aa 83.3 ± 28.9 Aabc 96.7 ± 5.8 Aab 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa 100.0 ± 0.0 Aa V13 6.7 ± 5.8 Ab 53.3 ± 25.1 Aabcd 90.0 ± 10.0 Aab 90.0 ± 10.0 Aa 93.3 ± 11.5 Aa 93.3 ± 11.5 Aab 93.3 ± 11.5 Aab 93.3 ± 11.5 Aab T1 V1 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 0.0 ± 0.0 Ac 30.0 ± 0.0 Abcd 36.7 ± 11.5 Bd 43.3 ± 11.5 Bcde 43.3 ± 11.5 Bcd 43.3 ± 11.5 Bcd 43.3 ± 11.5 Bcd V2 10.0 ± 10.0 Aa 43.3 ± 11.5 Aa 46.7 ± 5.8 Babcd 46.7 ± 5.8 Bcd 46.7 ± 5.8 Bcde 46.7 ± 5.8 Bcd 46.7 ± 5.8 Bcd 46.7 ± 5.8 Bcd V3 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 26.7 ± 15.3 Babc 60.0 ± 5.8 Aabc 80.0 ± 5.77 Aa 80.0 ± 5.8 Aab 80.0 ± 5.8 Aab 80.0 ± 5.8 Aab 80.0 ± 5.8 Aab V4 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 26.7 ± 15.3 Babc 53.3 ± 5.8 Babcd 60.0 ± 10.0 Babcd 63.3 ± 5.8 Babcd 63.3 ± 5.8 Babcd 63.3 ± 5.8 Babcd 63.3 ± 5.8 Babcd V5 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 40.0 ± 40.0 Aab 70.0 ± 26.5 Aa 83.3 ± 15.3 Aa 86.7 ± 11.5 Aa 86.7 ± 11.5 Aa 86.7 ± 11.5 Aa 86.7 ± 11.5 Aa V6 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 10.0 ± 17.3 Babc 26.7 ± 11.5 Bcd 33.3 ± 11.5 Bd 33.3 ± 5.8 Be 33.3 ± 5.8 Bd 33.3 ± 5.8 Bd 33.3 ± 5.8 Bd V7 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 33.3 ± 30.6 Aabc 63.3 ± 28.9 Aab 76.7 ± 5.8 Bab 83.3 ± 5.8 Ba 86.7 ± 5.8 Ba 86.7 ± 5.8 Ba 86.7 ± 5.8 Ba V8 3.3 ± 5.8 Aab 6.7 ± 11.5 Abc 46.7 ± 23.1 Aabcd 60.0 ± 26.5 Aabcd 63.3 ± 28.8 Aabcd 63.3 ± 28.9 Aabcd 63.3 ± 28.9 Aabcd 63.3 ± 28.9 Aabcd V9 6.7 ± 11.5 Aab 30.0 ± 20.0 Babc 60.0 ± 26.5 Aabc 66.7 ± 25.2 Aabc 70.0 ± 20.0 Aabc 73.3 ± 25.16 Aabc 73.3 ± 25,16 Aabc 73.3 ± 25.16 Aabc V10 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 20.0 ± 17.3 Aabc 30.0 ± 0.0 Abcd 36.7 ± 5.8 Ad 36.7 ± 5.8 Ade 36.7 ± 5.8 Ad 36.7 ± 5.8 Ad 36.7 ± 5.8 Ad V11 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 10.0 ± 10.0 Bc 23.3 ± 20.8 Bd 43.3 ± 5.8 Bcd 53.3 ± 5.8 Bbcde 53.3 ± 5.8 Bbcd 53.3 ± 5.8 Bbcd 53.3 ± 5.8 Bbcd V12 0.0 ± 00 Ab 10.0 ± 10.0 Babc 36.7 ± 5.8 Babcd 50.0 ± 17.3 Bbcd 53.3 ± 20.8 Bbcde 53.3 ± 20.9 Bbcd 53.3 ± 20.9 Bbcd 53.3 ± 20.9 Bbcd V13 0.0 ± 0.0 Ab 3.3 ± 5.8 Babc 50.0 ± 0.0 Babcd 60.0 ± 10.0 Babcd 60.0 ± 10.0 Babcde 60.0 ± 10.0 Babcd 60.0 ± 10.0 Babcd 60.0 ± 10.0 Babcd 5.2 Time to 50% germination Overall, NaCl significantly increased (p < 0.001) the time to 50% germination of cowpea seeds (Fig. 3 ). However, the interaction between NaCl concentration and variety was significant (p˂0.01). Thus, at 150 µM, in V11, it increased by 55.67% to 150 µM compared to 0 µM. However, salt did not significantly affect T50 in V2. It was not reached in V6 and V10. 5.3 Latency time Salinity significantly increased (p < 0.001) latency time. Thus, it increased from 1 day 7 hours 55 minutes 12 seconds at 0 µM to 2 days 16 hours 4 minutes 48 seconds at 150 µM in V13 (Fig. 3 ). 5.4 Emergence rate NaCl significantly influenced (p˂0.01) the emergence rate of cowpea seedlings. Similarly, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction was significant (p˂0.05). Thus, NaCl did not significantly influence (p > 0.05) the emergence rate of seeds of varieties V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V11 and V13 (Fig. 3 ) However, it significantly reduced (p˂0.01) the emergence rate of seeds of variety V12. Thus, from 0 to 150 µM, a decrease in seed emergence rate was observed in V12 (100%). 5.5 Seed vigour index The vigor index of cowpea seeds falled significantly (p < 0.001) with salt treatment ( Fig. 4 ). Thus, it was 9.84 times higher in control compared to 150 µM in V11. 5.6 Germination vigour index The germination vigour index of cowpea varied significantly (p < 0.001) in the presence of salt in the medium. Although this decrease was significant in V2, V4, V6, V7, V9, V10, V11, V12 and V13; it was not significant in V1, V3, V5 and V8 ( Fig. 4 ). Thus, compared to 0 µM, it was 6 times smaller at 150 µM in V2. 5.7 Germination time NaCl did not significantly influence (p > 0.05) the germination time of cowpea seeds. Furthermore, the interaction between [NaCl] and varieties was not significant (p > 0.05). 5.8 Velocity coefficient NaCl significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the velocity coefficient of cowpea seeds (Fig. 5 ). Similarly, the interaction between NaCl concentration and varieties was significant (p˂0.05). Thus, NaCl significantly reduced (p˂0.001) the velocity coefficient in V4 and V11. However, it did not affect the velocity coefficient of varieties V1, V2, V3, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V12 and V13. Thus, in V4 and V11, the velocity coefficient of the saline treatment decreased by 5.94% and 12.86%, respectively, compared to the control. 5.9 Average germination time NaCl significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the average germination time. Similarly, the interaction between [NaCl]*Varieties was significant (p˂0.05). Thus, NaCl did not significantly influence (p > 0.05) the average germination time of seeds of varieties V1, V2, V3, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V12 and V13 (Fig. 5 ). However, it significantly increased (p˂0.05) the average germination time of seeds of varieties V4 and V11. Thus, from 0 to 150 µM, an increase in average germination time was observed in V4 (5.94%) and V11 (13.10%). 5.10 Effect of variety on seed germination components The germination percentage of cowpea seeds increased over time in all varieties. It varied according to variety (Fig. 2 , Table 2 ). Varieties V5 (86.67%), V7 (86.67%) and V3 (80.00%) had the highest values and V6 (36.67%) and V10 (33.33%) the lowest at T1 from day 6 to day 8. The germination index varied significantly (p < 0.001) according to variety. Thus, at 150 µM, varieties V5 (11.92), V7 (11.13), V9 (10.42), V3 (10.41), V2 (8.85), V4 (8.63), V8 (7.74) and V13 (7.14) had the highest germination indices, while varieties V12 (6.36), V11 (5.74), V10 (5.24), V1 (4.67) and V6 (4.34) had the lowest (Fig. 3 ). The time to 50% germination of cowpea seeds varied significantly (p 0.05) the latency time and the germination duration of cowpea seeds. In addition, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction were not significant (p > 0.05). The variety significantly influenced (p˂0.05) the emergence rate of cowpea seeds. Similarly, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction was significant (p˂0.05). At 150 µM, V12 recorded the highest seed emergence rate compared to other varieties (Fig. 3 ). Variety significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the vigour index of cowpea seeds (Fig. 4 ). similarly, the interaction between [NaCl]*Varieties was significant (p˂0.001). This index varied significantly according to variety at 150 µM. Thus, varieties V7 (389.97), V13 (259.00), V5 (219.54) and V3 (202.00) had the highest vigour indices. They were followed by varieties V9 (158.88), V8 (158.88), V4 (137.22) and V2 (115.10). The varieties V6 (107.77), V11 (85.33), V1 (82.33), V12 (74.67) and V10 (73.32) had the lowest vigour indices for seeds at 150 µM. The variety significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the germination vigour index of cowpea (Fig. 4 ) similarly, the interaction [NaCl]* Varieties was significant (p˂0.001). This index varied significantly according to varieties treated with salt. Thus, at 150 µM, varieties V7 (19.66), V5 (12.71), V8 (10.84), V3 (10.6), V2 (6.49), V13 (5.95), V9 (5.20) and V4 (4.31) had the highest germination vigour indices, while the other varieties had the lowest indices (V6: 4.04, V10: 3.67, V11: 3.44, V12: 2.97 and V1: 0.78). Variety significantly influenced (p˂0.05) the germination velocity coefficient of cowpea. Similarly, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction was significant (p˂0.05). At 150 µM, V2 and V11 had the highest coefficients (Fig. 5 ). The variety significantly influenced (p˂0.05) the average germination time of cowpea seeds. Similarly, the interaction between [NaCl]*Varieties was significant (p˂0.05). At 150 µM, V2 had the shortest average germination time compared to the other varieties (Fig. 5 ). 5.11 Correlation between germination parameters Analysis of the correlations between the different parameters (Fig. 6 ) showed a detrimental effect of salt stress on the germination parameters of cowpea varieties. The parameters velocity coefficient (VC), germination index (GI), mean germination time (MGT), germination time (GT), germination vigour index (GVI), seed vigour index (SVI), dormancy time (LT), 50% germination time (T 50 ) and emergence rate (EV) were strongly correlated with each other. VC was strongly correlated with GI (r = 0.77) and negatively correlated with MGT (r=-1.00), GT (r=-0.74), LT (r=-0.73) and T 50 (r=-0.71). A significant correlation was observed between GT and MGT (r = 0.74). GI was correlated with VC (r = 0.77) and SVI (r = 0.73) and negatively correlated with T 50 (r=-0.79) and MGT (r=-0.76). GVI was strongly correlated with SVI (r = 0.84). There was a positive correlation between LT and MGT (r = 0.73). 5.12 Principal component analysis and clustering Factor analysis ( Fig. 7A ) and hierarchical classification or clustering (Fig. 7B were used to classify the varieties into four groups with almost identical characteristics based on the variables studied. Class 1 (cluster 1) consists of varieties V1, V6, V10, V11 and V12, which are sensitive to salinity. Class 2 mainly corresponds to varieties V2, V4, V8 and V9, which are moderately sensitive to salinity. Class 3 includes variety V7, which is moderately tolerant to salinity. Class 4 consists of varieties V3, V5 and V13, which are tolerant to salinity at the germination stage. 6. Discussion 6.1. Effect of salt stress on seed germination parameters Seed germination marks the beginning of plant growth, development and reproduction. Germinating seeds initially undergo water imbibition, followed by cell elongation and an increase in cell number [ 26 ]. Several factors such as salinity, temperature, light, water and plant hormones can modulate seed germination [ 27 , 28 ]. Among these factors, salinity can significantly affect seed germination and seedling establishment. The germination percentage (GP), germination index (GI), seed vigour index (SVI), germination vigour index (GVI) and velocity coefficient (VC at V4 and V11) of cowpea seeds decreased significantly with salt treatment. However, the latency time (LT), the time to 50% germination (T 50 ), and the MGT (at V4 and V11) increased significantly with salt treatment. This result could be explained by the fact that at high salt concentrations, germination is affected by increased levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and reduced levels of seed germination-stimulating hormones such as gibberellins (GAs) [ 29 ]. In addition, high salt concentrations lead to impaired membrane permeability due to metabolic defects [ 30 ]. Salinity negatively affects seed germination, either osmotically through reduced water absorption [ 31 – 33 ], or ionically through the accumulation of Na + and Cl − , leading to an imbalance in nutrient absorption [ 34 ] and a toxic effect affecting the embryo's protoplasm [ 35 ]. Pronounced salt stress due to salts affects germination by altering seed imbibition due to low potential. Osmotic environment, disrupting hormonal balance and reducing the use of seed reserves [ 36 , 37 ]. According [ 38 ], the reduced ability of cowpea seeds to germinate under conditions of soil salinity is possibly caused by a reversible osmotic effect that induced dormancy due to salinity. Similar results were published by [ 24 , 39 – 41 ] on PG, GI, MGT, GVI, SVI and VC of beans. These results are like those of [ 42 ] on PG, GI, MGT and SVI of squash. [ 43 ] Point out that increased salinity in the environment delays the start of germination and increases MGT and T50. 6.2 Salt stress tolerant varieties The varieties are classified into two groups by the hierarchical classification tree produced by the R software: Class 1 consists of varieties V1, V6, V10, V11 and V12, which are sensitive to salinity. Class 2 comprises varieties V2, V4, V8 and V9, which are moderately sensitive to salinity. Class 3 consists of variety V7, which is moderately tolerant to salinity. Class 4 comprises varieties V3, V5 and V13, which are tolerant to salinity at the germination stage. These different classes can also be obtained by structuring the averages of the seed germination components (percentage of germination, germination index, time to 50% germination, latency time and seed vigour index, etc.). The varieties tested differ significantly depending on the parameters tested. Varieties V3, V5, V13 and V7 have the best GP, GI, T50, TL, SVI and GVI, while varieties V1, V6, V10, V11 and V12 have the lowest. Furthermore, the results of the work by [ 24 ] show that IG and SVI are more sensitive indices for assessing the salt stress tolerance of legumes. Indeed, [ 44 ] found that GI is the parameter that best describes the PG/speed relationship; GP and MGT alone are not sufficient to represent a batch of seeds in terms of germination activity over a given period. The variability of cultivars in terms of germination and other growth characteristics is thought to be due to the heterogeneity of their genetic makeup [ 45 – 51 , 52 ]. 7 Conclusion With a view to colonising soils degraded by salinity, the overall objective of this study was to assess the effect of salinity on the germination of cowpea seeds. The results revealed that the germination percentage (GP), germination index (GI), seed vigour indices (SVI), germination vigour index, velocity coefficient and emergence rate decreased significantly with saline treatment. Thus, on the sixth day of germination, NaCl reduced the GP of seeds compared to the control (0 µM) by 48.00% at V1(IR15M02), 50.00% at V2(IR16MAK), 20.00% at V3(WIBALI), 29.63% at V4(TILIGRE), 13.33% at V5(IR16MAP), 64.29% at V6(IR15MA33), 13.33% at V7(LOCAL3fbt), 36.67% at V8(LOCAL3PG), 26.67% at V9(BRI), 52.17% at V10(LOCAL3GG), 46.67% at V11(LORI), 46.67% at V12(MTA22) and 35.71% at V13(KOMCALLE). Nevertheless, the average germination time, latency time and 50% germination time (T 50 ) increased significantly with the saline treatment. However, salt did not significantly affect T 50 in V2(IR16MAK) and was not reached in V6(IR15MA33), and V10(LOCAL3GG). Furthermore, the classification of averages, the representation of individuals in the principal component analysis and the dendrogram showed that the varieties tested differ significantly according to the parameters evaluated. Groups 3 [V7(LOCAL3fbt)] and 4 [(V3(WIBALI), V5(IR16MAP) and V13 KOMCALLE)] had the best GI, SVI and T 50 , while group 1 [V1(IR15M02), V6(IR15MA33), V10(LOCAL3GG), V11(LORI) and V12(MTA22)] and group 2 [V2(IR16MAK), V4(TILIGRE), V8(LOCAL3PG) and V9(BRI)] had the lowest levels. Variety groups 3 and 4 are therefore recommended to farmers for their tolerance to high salinity levels in the environment during germination. Declarations Acknowledgements We appreciatively recognize the support of the Plant Physiology and Improvement Unit of the University of Yaounde I Cameroon, for providing a suitable environment and platform throughout the study period. Plant reproducibility The germination experimentation under salt stress conditions was done on 13 varieties of cowpea, mainly provided by IRAD (Agricultural Research Institute for Development), Cameroon, accession collection in Foumbot and Maroua. The exhaustive protocol (substrate, growth conditions, etc.) is provided in the Methodology part to guarantee whole reproducibility of the test. Author contributions Conceptualization: CNT, ET, EY, CFD; Methodology: CNT, ETL, CFD; Formal analysis and investigation: CNT, ETL, MKF, OLNE, LSNC; Writing-original draft preparation: CFD, ETL, LSTG, BDDM; Writing—review and editing: CNT, LSTG, MKF; Supervision: CNT Funding declaration : Not applicable. Data availability The raw datasets used and/or analyzed throughout the present research are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Ethics approval and consent to participate This research did not require ethical approval for instance it exclusively involved samples of healthy cowpea seeds and crops and did not involve human or animal subjects. The management of cowpea seeds in this research conformed to institutional principles and national guiding principle (Code de l’Environnement, Article L412-1). No safe or unlawfully collected species were utilized in this research. This rresearch did not involve human participants. Consent to Publish Not applicable. There were no human participants in this research and for the images/photographs, the authors confirm authorship of this data and did not need any mandatory permission to make known the images/photographs being in the manuscript. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. 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Mycotrophic Status of Strawberry ( Fragaria spp.) Suggests High Potential for Sustainable Fruit Production in Sub-Saharan Africa. (2025) Agri . Sci . 16, 842-863. https://doi.org/10.4236/as.2025.169052 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Graphicalabstract.jpg Graphical abstract Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8485223","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":589052259,"identity":"d799a953-c906-49c1-a864-635387c5a16e","order_by":0,"name":"Christiane Fokoua Djocne","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Christiane","middleName":"Fokoua","lastName":"Djocne","suffix":""},{"id":589052260,"identity":"e10e34a7-2f13-4a42-916f-639257836d91","order_by":1,"name":"Edwige Teufack Lekeumo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Edwige","middleName":"Teufack","lastName":"Lekeumo","suffix":""},{"id":589052261,"identity":"3bc44959-77b9-4d5e-b0c6-e4a9805c74fa","order_by":2,"name":"Nono Carine Temegne","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nono","middleName":"Carine","lastName":"Temegne","suffix":""},{"id":589052262,"identity":"95a2bb58-bc30-43e1-a7f0-62bf257c5803","order_by":3,"name":"Michaël Kenne Fomekong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Michaël","middleName":"Kenne","lastName":"Fomekong","suffix":""},{"id":589052263,"identity":"6092fffe-25f9-4a56-a2c6-432fd4da1a82","order_by":4,"name":"Laura Scottie Tchinda Ngouana","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Laura","middleName":"Scottie Tchinda","lastName":"Ngouana","suffix":""},{"id":589052264,"identity":"8d722c55-0bf5-48c7-bad8-34781e5fc7ec","order_by":5,"name":"Leslie Sodje Ngayakal Cheye","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Leslie","middleName":"Sodje Ngayakal","lastName":"Cheye","suffix":""},{"id":589052265,"identity":"2f90b5ac-97f0-437c-a804-83944ed68b56","order_by":6,"name":"Odile Lili Ndong Evoung","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Odile","middleName":"Lili Ndong","lastName":"Evoung","suffix":""},{"id":589052266,"identity":"7463fd7f-2a44-4a49-ba16-1e7e3cc0d4a3","order_by":7,"name":"Bibiche Dorice Donke Mbumbia","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bibiche","middleName":"Dorice Donke","lastName":"Mbumbia","suffix":""},{"id":589052267,"identity":"686cbc4e-66ac-4f68-b377-26d0c1f6db90","order_by":8,"name":"Esaïe Tsoata","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Esaïe","middleName":"","lastName":"Tsoata","suffix":""},{"id":589052268,"identity":"e4a3e481-cadb-4a03-9d2e-c3972fadef94","order_by":9,"name":"Emmanuel Youmbi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Yaoundé I","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Emmanuel","middleName":"","lastName":"Youmbi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-31 02:53:22","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8485223/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8485223/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":102747253,"identity":"93d79d14-a39a-4000-936f-900eb28853e5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-16 09:04:18","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":154657,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCowpea varieties used as plant material. V1= IR15M02, V2= IR16MAK, V3=WIBALI, V4=TILIGRE, V5=IR16MAP, V6=IR15MA33, V7=LOCAL3fbt, V8=LOCAL3PG, V9=BRI, V10=LOCAL3GG, V11=LORI, V12=MTA22, V13=KOMCALLE\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/2139debafc5661463bfa563d.jpg"},{"id":102530568,"identity":"0a53003f-80f6-42b3-8592-20ee774ca260","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-12 16:21:20","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":132185,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSprouted seeds of cowpea varieties according to treatment. Left: T0, right: T1\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/1856813f84cafb7e60471621.jpg"},{"id":102530562,"identity":"d2e9ec38-3b96-4a9f-bda0-46686455c860","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-12 16:21:20","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":162756,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of salinity on the germination index, time to 50% germination, latency time and emergence rate according to treatment of cowpea seeds. V1=IR15M02, V2=IR16MAK, V3=WIBALI, V4=TILIGRE, V5=IR16MAP, V6=IR15MA33, V7=LOCAL3fbt, V8=LOCAL3PG, V9=BRI, V10=LOCAL3GG, V11=LORI, V12=MTA22, V13=KOMCALLE. For each parameter and for each variety, the means of the histograms with different letters are significantly different at the 5% level of Duncan’s test\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/1cf9573bd3c1d4972ac4de73.jpg"},{"id":102746371,"identity":"a386a1d8-96d0-4d2d-b664-f2bdc365a594","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-16 08:57:08","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":75314,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVigour indexes according to treatment. V1=IR15M02, V2=IR16MAK, V3=WIBALI, V4=TILIGRE, V5=IR16MAP, V6=IR15MA33, V7=LOCAL3fbt, V8=LOCAL3PG, V9=BRI, V10=LOCAL3GG, V11=LORI, V12=MTA22, V13=KOMCALLE. For each parameter and for each variety, the averages of the histograms bearing the same letters are not significantly different at the 5% threshold of Duncan’s test\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/a3d3f29d34027d96ad0c4b2e.jpg"},{"id":102746738,"identity":"afa1ef77-de99-4357-96aa-5e6001d680e6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-16 09:00:47","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":106930,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of salinity on velocity coefficient and average germination time of cowpea seeds. V1=IR15M02, V2=IR16MAK, V3=WIBALI, V4=TILIGRE, V5=IR16MAP, V6=IR15MA33, V7=LOCAL3fbt, V8=LOCAL3PG, V9=BRI, V10=LOCAL3GG, V11=LORI, V12=MTA22, V13=KOMCALLE. For each parameter and for each variety, means ± standard deviation with the same letters are not significantly different at the 5% level of Duncan's test.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/a6fa5a075cb4a9ea6e6c7867.jpg"},{"id":102530567,"identity":"1df6be75-8d19-4c92-923f-58c4b0bd3762","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-12 16:21:20","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":92109,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCorrelation between cowpea germination parameters (VC: velocity coefficient, GT: germination time, GI: germination index, GVI: vigor index of germination, SVI: vigor index seeds, T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e: time of 50% germination, LT: latency time, MGT: mean germination time and EV: emergence rate)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/76781ae61b0afb8074212dff.jpg"},{"id":102530565,"identity":"3eb5cb20-c7c6-4a4a-8060-5d8ed980e9ba","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-12 16:21:20","extension":"jpg","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":58929,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eRepresentation of individuals in the first factorial plane (A) and dendrogram classifying thirteen cowpea accessions (B) in the saline treatment. 1-3=V1 (IR15M02), 4-6=V2(IR16MAK), 7-9=V3(WIBALI), 10-12=V4(TILIGRE), 13-15=V5(IR16MAP), 16-18=V6(IR15MA33), 19-21=V7(LOCAL3fbt), 22-24=V8(LOCAL3PG), 25-27=V9(BRI), 28-30=V10(LOCAL3GG), 31-33=V11(LORI), 34-36=V12(MTA22), 37-39=V13(KOMCALLE)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/451aad3ba81499fbd789caff.jpg"},{"id":104968686,"identity":"90850e4f-5112-453e-8f56-7a0baa9ba55f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-19 10:27:07","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2048857,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/8acd564b-e02d-4831-a2f9-7e31e3ec7ccb.pdf"},{"id":102530566,"identity":"9e2a24be-8d00-4e79-a932-b7066e7c900a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-12 16:21:20","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":64104,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGraphical abstract\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Graphicalabstract.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8485223/v1/6a953841a5684b04d48cf411.jpg"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Screening of thirteen salt-tolerant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) accessions during germination","fulltext":[{"header":"1 Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eAccording to the United Nations Organisation publication, approximately 720\u0026nbsp;million people suffered from hunger in 2024, representing 8.8% of the world\u0026rsquo;s population. Although this represents a slight decrease compared to previous years, the situation remains worrying, especially in Africa, where hunger is on the rise due to wars, climate change and economic difficulties [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, the world\u0026rsquo;s population is constantly growing. However, this population increase far outstrips that of agricultural production. Thus, the challenge for agricultural research is to work to increase crop and soil production while protecting the environment. In this regard, cowpea (\u003cem\u003eVigna unguiculata\u003c/em\u003e (L.) Walp) could play an important role.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndeed, grain legumes, particularly cowpea, play a key socio-economic role in tropical Africa, where they are a traditional part of the local diet [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. They are introduced into rotation and crop rotation systems with grasses [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. Cowpeas are rich in protein (26%), fibre (42%), magnesium (37%), iron (30%), B vitamins, etc. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. However, despite consumption needs, there has been a decline in legume production in Cameroon since the 1980s. The low production of cowpea is linked to biotic (diseases and pests) and abiotic (nutritional stress, water stress, salinity, etc.) constraints [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition, a gradual decline in arable land in coastal, arid and semi-arid areas caused by salt accumulation due to insufficient rainfall, proximity to the sea, poor drainage and prolonged droughts is being observed globally and in Cameroon in particular. Furthermore, in 2024, 1.4\u0026nbsp;billion hectares of land (~\u0026thinsp;10% of the total land area of the globe) are already affected by salinisation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Salinity negatively affects the physical, chemical and biological properties of cultivated soils and, in turn, the agronomic potential of the soil.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Cameroon, the South-West, Littoral, South, Adamaoua, North and Far North regions have high salt concentrations [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Several studies show that by 2050, this salinity due to sodium chloride will affect more than 50% of arable land [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. Effective management of saline cultivated land requires the restoration of fertility through amendments; the elimination of excess salts; the suppression of the source of NaCl; and the use of salt-tolerant cultivars. The use of tolerant cultivars is an essential feature of most breeding programmes and a reliable control tool that takes ecological and economic factors into account. Variety selection is therefore one of the most appropriate solutions for solving the problem of salinity in this work. In addition, the identification of salt-tolerant varieties would be more economically efficient for the exploitation of soils affected by salt stress.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApart from the work of [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e], no study has been conducted on the selection of cowpea varieties tolerant to salinity during germination in Cameroon. Furthermore, these authors used ten cowpea accessions that were different from those tested in this study. The overall objective of this study is therefore to assess the effect of salinity on cowpea seed germination in the laboratory.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2 Material and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1 Biological material\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe biological material consisted of seeds from thirteen (13) varieties of cowpea from the accession collection of the IRAD (Agricultural Research Institute for Development) in Foumbot, Maroua, and from women farmers in the West (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). These seeds were provided by IRAD and did not need a license for usage by customers (farmers, producers, researchers, etc.) and are free to utilize.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVisual characteristics of the accessions used. Var: variety\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVar\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNames\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeed color\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAppearance seed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eShape seed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeed size\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEye color\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIR15M02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIR16MAK\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWIBALI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRed - white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTILIGRE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIR16MAP\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite-black\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIR15MA33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite-black\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLOCAL3fbt\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmooth\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLOCAL3PG\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLight brown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmooth\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVery small\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBRI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLOCAL3GG\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmooth\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLORI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLarge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMTA22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrown\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmooth speckled\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmall\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKOMCALLE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRough\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eoval\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBlack-white\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3 Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Evaluation of the effect of salt stress on seed germination parameters\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe saline solution was prepared by dissolving 8.77 g of NaCl in one liter of distilled water [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. The solutions prepared correspond respectively to:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0 mM NaCl consisting of distilled water used as a control and\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;150 mM NaCl used to induce salt stress.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe cowpea varieties were selected by sorting the seeds to ensure they were vigorous, without malformations or perforations. They were then disinfected with a 70\u0026deg; alcohol solution for 1 minute and rinsed three times with distilled water. The sterilized seeds were then placed in Petri dishes that have been labeled and lined with filter paper to allow for good distribution of the solution and air, at a rate of 10 seeds per dish. Each treatment was repeated three times. A total of 78 Petri dishes were used, at a rate of 39 per treatment, for a total of 780 seeds, or 390 seeds for each treatment. Five (5) mL of each prepared solution were taken using a Pasteur pipette and used to moisten the Petri dishes containing the disinfected seeds as needed. These dishes were then incubated in the laboratory at 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3\u0026deg;C under a 12/12 photoperiod using a randomized complete block design with three factors: NaCl concentrations (0 and 150 mM), varieties (V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V11, V12, and V13) and blocks.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGermination was noted when the radicle emerges from the seed coat and was at least 2 mm long. Germinated seeds were counted every day for 8 days. Then, the length of the radicle, the length of the stem, and the number of secondary roots were evaluated randomly in each treatment (3 replicates/treatment) on the 8th day, allowing the germination parameters to be calculated.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Evaluation of seed germination parameters\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination percentage (GP) is the ratio between the number of germinated seeds and the total number of germinated seeds multiplied by one hundred. It was obtained using the following formula [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGP (%) =\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{\\left(\\text{n}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{r}\\text{o}\\text{u}\\text{t}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{s}\\text{e}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\text{s}\\:\\right)}{\\left(\\text{n}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{s}\\text{e}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\text{s}\\:\\text{g}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\text{m}\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{a}\\text{t}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\right)}x\\:100.\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination index (GI) is the weighted sum of the daily number of germinated seeds. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGI=\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\left[\\frac{\\text{N}^\\circ\\:\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{g}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\text{m}\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{a}\\text{t}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{s}\\text{e}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\text{s}\\:\\text{a}\\text{t}\\:\\text{f}\\text{i}\\text{r}\\text{s}\\text{t}\\:\\text{c}\\text{o}\\text{u}\\text{n}\\text{t}}{\\text{d}\\text{a}\\text{y}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{f}\\text{i}\\text{r}\\text{s}\\text{t}\\:\\text{c}\\text{o}\\text{u}\\text{n}\\text{t}}\\right]+\\dots\\:+\\left[\\frac{\\text{N}^\\circ\\:\\:\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{r}\\text{o}\\text{u}\\text{t}\\text{s}\\:\\text{a}\\text{t}\\:\\text{f}\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{c}\\text{o}\\text{u}\\text{n}\\text{t}}{final\\:count\\:day}\\right]\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is the time (TL) required (in days) to observe the first germinated seed [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe 50% germination time (T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e) corresponds to the time required to obtain 50% of the germination capacity of the batch [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGermination duration (GD) is the time (in days) between the first germination of the experimental batch and the last germination of that batch [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe velocity coefficient (VC) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e] defines the speed of germination as a function of time.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVC =\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{(\\text{G}1+\\:\\text{G}2\\:\\:+\\:\\cdots\\:\\:+\\:\\text{G}\\text{n})}{(1\\text{x}\\text{G}1\\:\\:+\\:2\\text{x}\\text{G}2\\:\\:+\\:\\cdots\\:\\:+\\:\\text{n}\\text{x}\\text{G}\\text{n})}\\:x\\:100\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhere: G\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Number of germinated seeds and n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Last day of germination.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe average (mean) germination time (MGT) is the sum (from 1 to n) of the products of the number of seeds germinated and the day on which they germinated, divided by the total number of seeds germinated at the end of the test [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMGT = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{\\sum\\:\\left(\\text{D}\\text{n}\\right)}{\\sum\\:\\text{n}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e Where: n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;the number of seeds germinated each day and D\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;the day of counting.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe seed vigor index (SVI) was determined according to [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSVI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Seedling length (cm) x GP (germination percentage)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination vigor index (GVI) was determined as follows [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGVI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Root length (cm) x GI (germination index)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe emergence rate (EV) was determined by the formula [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEV = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{\\text{N}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{g}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\text{m}\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{a}\\text{t}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{s}\\text{e}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{a}\\text{t}\\:\\text{t}\\text{h}\\text{e}\\:\\text{f}\\text{i}\\text{r}\\text{s}\\text{t}\\:\\text{d}\\text{a}\\text{y}\\:}{\\text{N}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{g}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\text{m}\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{a}\\text{t}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{s}\\text{e}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{a}\\text{t}\\:\\text{t}\\text{h}\\text{e}\\:\\text{l}\\text{a}\\text{s}\\text{t}\\:\\text{d}\\text{a}\\text{y}\\:}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4 Data analysis","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe collected data was subjected to ANOVA using R Studio software version 4.0.5. The mean comparison test was performed using Duncan\u0026rsquo;s test at a 5% threshold. Data that did not meet the ANOVA assumptions (normality and homogeneity of variance) were analysed using the non-parametric Chi-square (X\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) test. Principal component analysis (representations of individuals) and dendrograms were performed using R Studio software. Graphical representations were created using Microsoft Excel.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"5 Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.1 Effect of salt stress on seed germination parameters\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaCl significantly reduced (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) the germination percentage of cowpea seeds (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, on day 6, it decreased by 48% compared to the control at V1.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination index decreased significantly (p˂0.001) with salt treatment except at V5, V8, V9 and V10 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, at V1, from 0 to 150 \u0026micro;M, it decreased from 14.51 to 7.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect of salinity and variety on the germination percentage of cowpea seeds over time. Var.: varieties, V1\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;IR15M02, V2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;IR16MAK, V3\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;WIBALI, V4\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;TILIGRE, V5\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;IR16MAP, V6\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;IR15MA33, V7\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;LOCAL3fbt, V8\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;LOCAL3PG, V9\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;BRI, V10\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;LOCAL3GG, V11\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;LORI, V12\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;MTA22, V13\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;KOMCALLE. \u003cb\u003eTreatment effect\u003c/b\u003e: for each day, by variety, the means\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviations with the same letters (uppercase) are not significantly different at the 5% threshold. \u003cb\u003eVariety effect\u003c/b\u003e: for each day and for each salt concentration, the means\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;standard deviations with the same letters (lowercase) are not significantly different at the 5% threshold of Duncan's test\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"10\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePEG\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVar.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"8\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTime (day)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"12\" rowspan=\"13\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eT0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;32.4\u003csup\u003eAbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;26.4\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e 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\u003cp\u003e6.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.80\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;25.1\u003csup\u003eAabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.8\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.3\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11,5\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.5\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;115\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.5\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.3\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.5\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.3\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100. 0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e 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\u003cp\u003e10.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.3\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.3\u003csup\u003eAabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.4\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.3\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e 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colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;34.7\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;34.7\u003csup\u003eAabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.3\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;100.0 \u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAa\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e 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colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.3\u003csup\u003eAc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76.6\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.3\u003csup\u003eAc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.3\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.5\u003csup\u003eAab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e 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colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.5\u003csup\u003eBd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;11.5\u003csup\u003eBcde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e 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\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eBc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.8\u003csup\u003eBd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eBcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eBbcde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eBbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eBbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eBbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;00\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eBabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36.7\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eBabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.3\u003csup\u003eBbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.8\u003csup\u003eBbcde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.9\u003csup\u003eBbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.9\u003csup\u003eBbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;20.9\u003csup\u003eBbcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eV13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eAb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.3\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5.8\u003csup\u003eBabc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003csup\u003eBabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eBabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.0 \u0026plusmn; 10.0\u003csup\u003eBabcde\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eBabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eBabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.0\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.0\u003csup\u003eBabcd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.2 Time to 50% germination\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, NaCl significantly increased (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) the time to 50% germination of cowpea seeds (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). However, the interaction between NaCl concentration and variety was significant (p˂0.01). Thus, at 150 \u0026micro;M, in V11, it increased by 55.67% to 150 \u0026micro;M compared to 0 \u0026micro;M. However, salt did not significantly affect T50 in V2. It was not reached in V6 and V10.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.3 Latency time\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSalinity significantly increased (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) latency time. Thus, it increased from 1 day 7 hours 55 minutes 12 seconds at 0 \u0026micro;M to 2 days 16 hours 4 minutes 48 seconds at 150 \u0026micro;M in V13 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.4 Emergence rate\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaCl significantly influenced (p˂0.01) the emergence rate of cowpea seedlings. Similarly, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction was significant (p˂0.05). Thus, NaCl did not significantly influence (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) the emergence rate of seeds of varieties V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V11 and V13 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e) However, it significantly reduced (p˂0.01) the emergence rate of seeds of variety V12. Thus, from 0 to 150 \u0026micro;M, a decrease in seed emergence rate was observed in V12 (100%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.5 Seed vigour index\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe vigor index of cowpea seeds falled significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) with salt treatment \u003cb\u003e(\u003c/b\u003eFig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, it was 9.84 times higher in control compared to 150 \u0026micro;M in V11.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.6 Germination vigour index\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination vigour index of cowpea varied significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) in the presence of salt in the medium. Although this decrease was significant in V2, V4, V6, V7, V9, V10, V11, V12 and V13; it was not significant in V1, V3, V5 and V8 \u003cb\u003e(\u003c/b\u003eFig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, compared to 0 \u0026micro;M, it was 6 times smaller at 150 \u0026micro;M in V2.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.7 Germination time\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaCl did not significantly influence (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) the germination time of cowpea seeds. Furthermore, the interaction between [NaCl] and varieties was not significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.8 Velocity coefficient\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaCl significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the velocity coefficient of cowpea seeds (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Similarly, the interaction between NaCl concentration and varieties was significant (p˂0.05). Thus, NaCl significantly reduced (p˂0.001) the velocity coefficient in V4 and V11. However, it did not affect the velocity coefficient of varieties V1, V2, V3, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V12 and V13. Thus, in V4 and V11, the velocity coefficient of the saline treatment decreased by 5.94% and 12.86%, respectively, compared to the control.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.9 Average germination time\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eNaCl significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the average germination time. Similarly, the interaction between [NaCl]*Varieties was significant (p˂0.05). Thus, NaCl did not significantly influence (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) the average germination time of seeds of varieties V1, V2, V3, V5, V6, V7, V8, V9, V10, V12 and V13 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). However, it significantly increased (p˂0.05) the average germination time of seeds of varieties V4 and V11. Thus, from 0 to 150 \u0026micro;M, an increase in average germination time was observed in V4 (5.94%) and V11 (13.10%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.10 Effect of variety on seed germination components\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination percentage of cowpea seeds increased over time in all varieties. It varied according to variety (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Varieties V5 (86.67%), V7 (86.67%) and V3 (80.00%) had the highest values and V6 (36.67%) and V10 (33.33%) the lowest at T1 from day 6 to day 8.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination index varied significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) according to variety. Thus, at 150 \u0026micro;M, varieties V5 (11.92), V7 (11.13), V9 (10.42), V3 (10.41), V2 (8.85), V4 (8.63), V8 (7.74) and V13 (7.14) had the highest germination indices, while varieties V12 (6.36), V11 (5.74), V10 (5.24), V1 (4.67) and V6 (4.34) had the lowest (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe time to 50% germination of cowpea seeds varied significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) according to variety (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, varieties V1, V11 and V12 had the longest times to 50% germination at T1.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariety did not significantly influence (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) the latency time and the germination duration of cowpea seeds. In addition, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction were not significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe variety significantly influenced (p˂0.05) the emergence rate of cowpea seeds. Similarly, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction was significant (p˂0.05). At 150 \u0026micro;M, V12 recorded the highest seed emergence rate compared to other varieties (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariety significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the vigour index of cowpea seeds (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). similarly, the interaction between [NaCl]*Varieties was significant (p˂0.001). This index varied significantly according to variety at 150 \u0026micro;M. Thus, varieties V7 (389.97), V13 (259.00), V5 (219.54) and V3 (202.00) had the highest vigour indices. They were followed by varieties V9 (158.88), V8 (158.88), V4 (137.22) and V2 (115.10). The varieties V6 (107.77), V11 (85.33), V1 (82.33), V12 (74.67) and V10 (73.32) had the lowest vigour indices for seeds at 150 \u0026micro;M.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe variety significantly influenced (p˂0.001) the germination vigour index of cowpea (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) similarly, the interaction [NaCl]* Varieties was significant (p˂0.001). This index varied significantly according to varieties treated with salt. Thus, at 150 \u0026micro;M, varieties V7 (19.66), V5 (12.71), V8 (10.84), V3 (10.6), V2 (6.49), V13 (5.95), V9 (5.20) and V4 (4.31) had the highest germination vigour indices, while the other varieties had the lowest indices (V6: 4.04, V10: 3.67, V11: 3.44, V12: 2.97 and V1: 0.78).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariety significantly influenced (p˂0.05) the germination velocity coefficient of cowpea. Similarly, the [NaCl]*Varieties interaction was significant (p˂0.05). At 150 \u0026micro;M, V2 and V11 had the highest coefficients (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe variety significantly influenced (p˂0.05) the average germination time of cowpea seeds. Similarly, the interaction between [NaCl]*Varieties was significant (p˂0.05). At 150 \u0026micro;M, V2 had the shortest average germination time compared to the other varieties (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.11 Correlation between germination parameters\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnalysis of the correlations between the different parameters (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e) showed a detrimental effect of salt stress on the germination parameters of cowpea varieties.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe parameters velocity coefficient (VC), germination index (GI), mean germination time (MGT), germination time (GT), germination vigour index (GVI), seed vigour index (SVI), dormancy time (LT), 50% germination time (T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e) and emergence rate (EV) were strongly correlated with each other. VC was strongly correlated with GI (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.77) and negatively correlated with MGT (r=-1.00), GT (r=-0.74), LT (r=-0.73) and T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e (r=-0.71). A significant correlation was observed between GT and MGT (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.74). GI was correlated with VC (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.77) and SVI (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.73) and negatively correlated with T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e (r=-0.79) and MGT (r=-0.76). GVI was strongly correlated with SVI (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.84). There was a positive correlation between LT and MGT (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.73).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e5.12 Principal component analysis and clustering\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFactor analysis (\u003cb\u003eFig.\u0026nbsp;7A\u003c/b\u003e) and hierarchical classification or clustering \u003cb\u003e(Fig.\u0026nbsp;7B\u003c/b\u003e were used to classify the varieties into four groups with almost identical characteristics based on the variables studied.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eClass 1 (cluster 1) consists of varieties V1, V6, V10, V11 and V12, which are sensitive to salinity. Class 2 mainly corresponds to varieties V2, V4, V8 and V9, which are moderately sensitive to salinity. Class 3 includes variety V7, which is moderately tolerant to salinity. Class 4 consists of varieties V3, V5 and V13, which are tolerant to salinity at the germination stage.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"6. Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e6.1. Effect of salt stress on seed germination parameters\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSeed germination marks the beginning of plant growth, development and reproduction. Germinating seeds initially undergo water imbibition, followed by cell elongation and an increase in cell number [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. Several factors such as salinity, temperature, light, water and plant hormones can modulate seed germination [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]. Among these factors, salinity can significantly affect seed germination and seedling establishment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe germination percentage (GP), germination index (GI), seed vigour index (SVI), germination vigour index (GVI) and velocity coefficient (VC at V4 and V11) of cowpea seeds decreased significantly with salt treatment. However, the latency time (LT), the time to 50% germination (T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e), and the MGT (at V4 and V11) increased significantly with salt treatment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis result could be explained by the fact that at high salt concentrations, germination is affected by increased levels of abscisic acid (ABA) and reduced levels of seed germination-stimulating hormones such as gibberellins (GAs) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. In addition, high salt concentrations lead to impaired membrane permeability due to metabolic defects [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. Salinity negatively affects seed germination, either osmotically through reduced water absorption [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR32\" citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e], or ionically through the accumulation of Na\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e and Cl\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e, leading to an imbalance in nutrient absorption [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e] and a toxic effect affecting the embryo's protoplasm [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Pronounced salt stress due to salts affects germination by altering seed imbibition due to low potential. Osmotic environment, disrupting hormonal balance and reducing the use of seed reserves [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e]. According [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e], the reduced ability of cowpea seeds to germinate under conditions of soil salinity is possibly caused by a reversible osmotic effect that induced dormancy due to salinity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilar results were published by [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR40\" citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e] on PG, GI, MGT, GVI, SVI and VC of beans. These results are like those of [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e] on PG, GI, MGT and SVI of squash. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e] Point out that increased salinity in the environment delays the start of germination and increases MGT and T50.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec23\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e6.2 Salt stress tolerant varieties\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe varieties are classified into two groups by the hierarchical classification tree produced by the R software: Class 1 consists of varieties V1, V6, V10, V11 and V12, which are sensitive to salinity. Class 2 comprises varieties V2, V4, V8 and V9, which are moderately sensitive to salinity. Class 3 consists of variety V7, which is moderately tolerant to salinity. Class 4 comprises varieties V3, V5 and V13, which are tolerant to salinity at the germination stage. These different classes can also be obtained by structuring the averages of the seed germination components (percentage of germination, germination index, time to 50% germination, latency time and seed vigour index, etc.).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe varieties tested differ significantly depending on the parameters tested. Varieties V3, V5, V13 and V7 have the best GP, GI, T50, TL, SVI and GVI, while varieties V1, V6, V10, V11 and V12 have the lowest. Furthermore, the results of the work by [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e] show that IG and SVI are more sensitive indices for assessing the salt stress tolerance of legumes. Indeed, [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e44\u003c/span\u003e] found that GI is the parameter that best describes the PG/speed relationship; GP and MGT alone are not sufficient to represent a batch of seeds in terms of germination activity over a given period. The variability of cultivars in terms of germination and other growth characteristics is thought to be due to the heterogeneity of their genetic makeup [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR46 CR47 CR48 CR49 CR50\" citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"7 Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eWith a view to colonising soils degraded by salinity, the overall objective of this study was to assess the effect of salinity on the germination of cowpea seeds. The results revealed that the germination percentage (GP), germination index (GI), seed vigour indices (SVI), germination vigour index, velocity coefficient and emergence rate decreased significantly with saline treatment. Thus, on the sixth day of germination, NaCl reduced the GP of seeds compared to the control (0 \u0026micro;M) by 48.00% at V1(IR15M02), 50.00% at V2(IR16MAK), 20.00% at V3(WIBALI), 29.63% at V4(TILIGRE), 13.33% at V5(IR16MAP), 64.29% at V6(IR15MA33), 13.33% at V7(LOCAL3fbt), 36.67% at V8(LOCAL3PG), 26.67% at V9(BRI), 52.17% at V10(LOCAL3GG), 46.67% at V11(LORI), 46.67% at V12(MTA22) and 35.71% at V13(KOMCALLE). Nevertheless, the average germination time, latency time and 50% germination time (T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e) increased significantly with the saline treatment. However, salt did not significantly affect T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e in V2(IR16MAK) and was not reached in V6(IR15MA33), and V10(LOCAL3GG). Furthermore, the classification of averages, the representation of individuals in the principal component analysis and the dendrogram showed that the varieties tested differ significantly according to the parameters evaluated. Groups 3 [V7(LOCAL3fbt)] and 4 [(V3(WIBALI), V5(IR16MAP) and V13 KOMCALLE)] had the best GI, SVI and T\u003csub\u003e50\u003c/sub\u003e, while group 1 [V1(IR15M02), V6(IR15MA33), V10(LOCAL3GG), V11(LORI) and V12(MTA22)] and group 2 [V2(IR16MAK), V4(TILIGRE), V8(LOCAL3PG) and V9(BRI)] had the lowest levels. Variety groups 3 and 4 are therefore recommended to farmers for their tolerance to high salinity levels in the environment during germination.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe appreciatively recognize the support of the Plant Physiology and Improvement Unit of the University of Yaounde I Cameroon, for providing a suitable environment and platform throughout the study period.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlant reproducibility\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe germination experimentation under salt stress conditions was done on 13 varieties of cowpea, mainly provided by IRAD (Agricultural Research Institute for Development), Cameroon, accession collection in Foumbot and Maroua. The exhaustive protocol (substrate, growth conditions, etc.) is provided in the Methodology part to guarantee whole reproducibility of the test.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConceptualization: CNT, ET, EY, CFD; Methodology: CNT, ETL, CFD; Formal analysis and investigation: CNT, ETL, MKF, OLNE, LSNC; Writing-original draft preparation: CFD, ETL, LSTG, BDDM; Writing—review and editing: CNT, LSTG, MKF; Supervision: CNT\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding declaration\u003c/strong\u003e: Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe raw datasets used and/or analyzed throughout the present research are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research did not require ethical approval for instance it exclusively involved samples of healthy cowpea seeds and crops and did not involve human or animal subjects. The management of cowpea seeds in this research conformed to institutional principles and national guiding principle (Code de l’Environnement, Article L412-1). No safe or unlawfully collected species were utilized in this research. This rresearch did not involve human participants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent to Publish \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;Not applicable. There were no human participants in this research and for the images/photographs, the authors confirm authorship of this data and did not need any mandatory permission to make known the images/photographs being in the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. 2025a; Rome. https://www.who.int/fr/news/item/28-07-2025-global-hunger-declines-but-rises-in-africa-and-western-asia-un-report Accessed 10 September 2025. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrink M, Grubben GJH, Belay G, Agrooh BT. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 1: Cereals and Pulses. 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(2025) \u003cem\u003eAgri\u003c/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eSci\u003c/em\u003e. 16, 842-863. https://doi.org/10.4236/as.2025.169052\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"dendrogram, germination, NaCl, salinity, Vigna unguiculata","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8485223/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8485223/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Soil salinity is one of the most important production constraints. Many studies have attempted to find a solution to this problem. The general objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of salinity on cowpea seed germination. Two salt concentrations (0 control and 150 \u0026micro;M NaCl) and thirteen varieties were tested in the laboratory following randomized complete block design with three replicates per treatment. The number of germinated seeds was recorded every until the eighth day, when the germination parameters were evaluated. The results indicate that the germination percentage (GP), the germination index, the seed vigour index, the germination vigour index, the velocity coefficient and the emergence rate decreased significantly (p˂0.05) in the saline treatment, while the latency time, the 50% germination time (T) and mean germination time increased. Thus, on day 8, the PG of V1(IR15M02) was 83.33% and 43.33% for 0 and 150 \u0026micro;M respectively. The T increased by 55.67% to 150 \u0026micro;M compared to 0 \u0026micro;M in V11(LORI). Seedling length decreased from 8.30 cm in control to 2.00 cm at 150 \u0026micro;M in V10(LOCAL3GG). The classification of varieties resulted in four groups: group 1 consisting of susceptible V1(IR15M02), V6(IR15MA33), V10(LOCAL3GG), V11(LORI) and V12(MTA22); group 2 corresponding to moderately susceptible V2(IR16MAK), V4(TILIGRE), V8(LOCAL3PG) and V9(BRI); group 3 comprising moderately tolerant V7(LOCAL3fbt) and group 4 including V3(WIBALI), V5(IR16MAP) and V13(KOMCALLE), which are tolerant to salinity at the germination stage. The varieties in groups 3 and 4 can therefore be recommended for their tolerance to salinity during germination.","manuscriptTitle":"Screening of thirteen salt-tolerant cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) accessions during germination","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-12 16:21:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8485223/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"bed1b16b-3d5c-4b0b-9e77-3c4a14624bff","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 12th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-19T10:26:33+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-12 16:21:10","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8485223","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8485223","identity":"rs-8485223","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}