The effect of Ethyl methanesulfonate and Methylsalicylate induced on physiological and biochemical characteristics of rice OMCS2000 in anaerobic germination and plant growth under waterlogging

Abstract Background The use of direct seeding in lowland rice ecosystems brings many advantages for cultivators such as reducing labor costs, effective water management, early harvesting, and less dependence on herbicides, thus improving tolerance to submergence during germination in rice is the best suggestion. In this study, rice seeds of variety OMCS2000 were treated with different concentrations of Ethyl-methane sulphonate (EMS) (0.1% and 0.125%) and concentration of Methylsalicylate (MeSA) (0.1 mM and 0.125 mM) to examine the positive and negative impact on seed germination, plant height, root length, α-amylase activity, phenolic, and flavonoid content under various water levels for submerged conditions (0, 5, 10, and 15 cm) of plants at 14 days. Results Our data showed that 0.1% EMS significantly increased the germination rate, germination vigor index, morphological (root and shoot lengths), and alpha amylase of rice under waterlogging while MeSA significantly reduced them. But we also recognized that MeSA (0.1 mM) significantly improved in phenolic and flavonoid contents of rice under waterlogging. Conclusion The treatment with 0.1% EMS showed the highest tolerance to anaerobic conditions which could be recommended to apply in a breeding program new OMCS2000 line for waterlogging tolerance.