Fig. 1

The effects of fluridone (ABA synthesis inhibitor) and 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MP; GABA synthesis inhibitor) on the seed germination characteristics of the W- and MC-primed cotton seeds under salt stress. A Representative phenotypes of the W- and MC-primed cotton seeds after 24 h of salt stress. B Root length, C seed germination rate, D seed vigor index of the W- and MC-primed cotton seeds after 4 d of salt stress. E MDA content of the W- and MC-primed cotton seeds after 24 h of salt stress. WCK: water-primed seeds germinated in the sand without NaCl; WS: water-primed seeds germinated in the sand containing NaCl; MCS: MC-primed seeds germinated in the sand containing NaCl. FWCK, FWS, FMCS: addition of fluridone based on WCK, WS and MCS. PWCK, PWS, PMCS: addition of 3-mercaptopropionic acid based on WCK, WS and MCS. The bars represent the mean ± standard error (SE) of three replicate samples