Investigating the impact of different concentrations of MS media on tomato seed germination and seedling growth

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) has a low chromosomal number (2x = 24) within the Solanaceae family, which makes its genetic modification advantageous. A completely randomized design (CRD) with six treatments replicated five times to investigate the effects of different MS media concentrations on tomato plant seed germination and seedling development. Distilled water and agar made up the T 0 media, whereas T 1 received full MS, T 2 1/2 MS, and T 3 1/3 MS concentration, T 4 contained 1/4 MS, and T 5 received 3/2 MS. After sterilizing the seeds with 2–3% sodium hypochlorite, 70% methylated spirits, and Tween-20 detergent, they were rinsed with distilled water three times. Every condition yielded statistically significant results, with 85% of seeds germinating in T 2 (1/2 MS), while T 3 (1/3 MS) maximized the rate and health of genuine leaf appearance. Although the shoots that were cultured on T 2 (1/2 MS) produced the most widespread roots, the shoots that were cultured on T 1 (full MS) recorded the longest shoots of the plantlets, while T 4 (1/4 MS) and T 5 (3/2 MS) performed poorly across the board. Moreover, contamination was positively associated with MS media concentrations, the highest contamination rates were observed in the 3/2 MS and 1 MS with 65% and 35% respectively. Whereas no contamination was observed in the control. Lower concentration media exhibited delayed and comparatively lower contamination. According to the study, the optimal concentrations for tomato seed germination and seedling are 1/3 MS and 1/2 MS. These findings support the use of moderate basal salt concentration to improve uniform establishment and propagation efficiency in tomato tissue culture.