Table 2.

Effect of Cu- Chitosan nanoparticle priming treatments on biomolecules and hydrolytic enzymes

Biomolecules/ hydrolytic enzymes	Treatments
	Non-Stress				Under PEG-induced hyperosmotic stress				Under salt stress
	Control	Hydro-priming	0.12% Cu- CNP	0.16% Cu- CNP	Control	Hydro-priming	0.12% Cu- CNP	0.16% Cu- CNP	Control	Hydro-priming	0.12% Cu- CNP	0.16% Cu- CNP
Protein (mg/gf.wt)	151 f	287 b	140 f	267 c	184 e	150 f	287 b	303 b	376 a	215 d	174 e	304 b
Total Sugars (mg/g. f.wt)	91 cd	82 de	134 a	79 e	90 cd	80 e	93 c	91 cd	79 e	81 e	106 b	85 cde
α-Amylase (mg/g F.wt.)	112 b	123 b	41 e	73 d	123 b	72 d	14 f	71 d	193 a	73 d	54 e	91 c
Protease (units/g F.wt.)	8706 b	8629 b	7440 de	8197 bc	7904 cd	7050 ef	7491 de	9747 a	7440 de	10,150 a	6491 f	10,277 a

Mean values of three replicates presented. Within a column, means sharing the same letters are non-significantly different (p > 0.05 and p > 0.01) according to the Tukey’s Test (HSD)