Abstract
Nanopriming has been shown to significantly improve seed germination and seedling vigor in several agricultural crops. However, this approach has not been applied to native upland boreal forest species with complex seed dormancy to improve propagation. Herein, we demonstrate the effectiveness of carbon nanoparticles functionalized with carboxylic acids in resolving seed dormancy and improved the propagation of two native upland boreal forest species. Seed priming with carbon nanoparticles functionalized with carboxylic acids followed by stratification were observed to be the most effective in improving germination to 90% in green alder (Alnus viridis L.) compared to 60% in the control. Conversely, a combination of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs), especially multiwall carbon nanoparticles functionalized with carboxylic acid (MWCNT–COOH), cold stratification, mechanical scarification and hormonal priming (gibberellic acid) was effective for buffaloberry seeds (Shepherdia canadensis L.). Both concentrations (20 µg and 40 µg) of MWCNT–COOH had a higher percent germination (90%) compared to all other treatments. Furthermore, we observed the improvement in germination, seedling vigor and resolution of both embryo and seed coat dormancy in upland boreal forest species appears to be associated with the remodeling of C18:3 enriched fatty acids in the following seed membrane lipid molecular species: PC18:1/18:3, PG16:1/18:3, PE18:3/18:2, and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG18:3/18:3). These findings suggest that nanopriming may be a useful approach to resolve seed dormancy issues and improve the seed germination in non-resource upland boreal forest species ideally suited for forest reclamation following resource mining.
Highlights
Several factors play key role in determining seed germination, early seedling establishment and adaptation to diverse set of environmental conditions [1,2,3]
85% of the seedlings were normal in green alder primed with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)–COOH, and this was significantly higher than the control and other nanoprimed treatments (Figure 3)
We show for the first time that upland boreal forest species primed and stratified with MWCNT functionalized with carboxylic acid (MWCNT–COOH) was very effective in improving germination dormancy and the increase seedling vigor observed in upland boreal forest species
Summary
Several factors play key role in determining seed germination, early seedling establishment and adaptation to diverse set of environmental conditions [1,2,3]. Seed dormancy is a key player in successful seedling establishment and is defined as a state whereby seeds are unable to germinate in conditions suitable for germination [4]. Seeds have three main types of dormancy: (a) Hard seed coats where seeds are impermeable to water and gases (physical dormancy). (c) The 3rd main seed dormancy is caused by germination inhibitors such as cis-ABA, β-d-glucopyranosyl ester, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, chlorogenic acid, coumarin, etc., which inhibit seed germination and plant growth [5]. Many of the native non-resource upland boreal forest species have seed dormancy issues that limit their propagation. There is limited knowledge surrounding what kind of dormancies are present in these native species, and what suitable approach or seed treatments may be applicable to break these dormancies
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