Mitigation of nickel stress in Abelmoschus esculentus L. through citric acid seed priming.

Citric acid seed priming enhances antioxidant activity and metabolic responses, reducing nickel stress effects in Abelmoschus esculentus L. by 201.67% seed vigor.

• Why it matters: Nickel contamination poses a persistent threat to crop productivity and food safety, and effective mitigation strategies are needed to protect plants from its phytotoxic effects.
• What they did: A pot trial with four treatments, including citric acid priming, was conducted to evaluate its impact on seed vigor, photosynthetic pigments, water content, membrane stability, and antioxidant enzyme activities under Ni stress.
• The result: Citric acid priming significantly improved plant physiological and biochemical parameters, increased metabolite accumulation related to stress mitigation, and suggests a potential strategy for reducing Ni toxicity in crops.