effect of vermicompost extract on early seedlings growth of bean (phaseolus vulgaris l. cv. light red kidney) under salinity stress conditions

organic compost can reduce various plant stresses, because of its porous structure, high water storage capacity, and existence of some substances resembling hormones and plant growth regulators. this study was performed to investigate interactions of different levels of vermicompost extract and salinity stress on morphological characteristics of bean seedlings. the experiment was conducted in completely randomized design. seeds were sown in petri dishes at different concentrations of vermicompost extract (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 100 percent) and salinity levels (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mm nacl) with three replications of five seeds. the seedlings were sampled after a week. the results indicated that vermicompost extract without salinity at concentrations of 1, 2, 7.5 and 10 percent, caused significant increase (p≤0.05) in hypocotyl length, dry weight and in root dry weight, whereas no significant effect was seen on diameter, surface and total root length. the concentrations of 2 and 10 percent of vermicompost at 30 mm nacl as well as 7.5% vermicompost at 90 mm nacl, improved the decrease of hypocotyl length compared to the state without vermicompost control treatment. in this experiment, the concentrations of 2 and 5 percent of vermicompost, significantly improved the decrease of root dry weight caused by salinity at 30 and 120 mm nacl, respectively.