Abstract
Mechanization and simplification are inevitable trends in agriculture production to decrease input demands and simultaneously improve resource use efficiency. Dry direct-seeded rice is a resource-saving cropping system and has been considered as a replacement for traditional transplanted rice. However, the poor establishment of dry direct-seeded early rice, primarily induced by chilling stress, has limited the wide adoption of this system. To examine the effects of pre-sowing seed treatments on rice germination, seedling growth and associated metabolic events under chilling stress, two seed coating treatments (Hanyubaomu coating and Miaoboshi coating) and two seed priming treatments (selenium priming and salicylic acid priming) were tested in field and growth chamber experiments. The results revealed that under chilling stress, seed priming increased the rice seed germination by 20.96-26.31 %. The length and weight of shoots and roots were also significantly increased. The two seed coating treatments were not effective in enhancing seed germination and seedling growth under chilling stress. The improved germination and seedling growth of primed seeds under chilling stress were strongly linked with higher α-amylase activity and total soluble sugar content. Conclusively, these findings will provide new avenues for understanding and advancing pre-sowing seed treatments of dry direct-seeded early rice.
Highlights
Global agriculture production systems are threatened by climate change, resource shortages and pressure from the ever-increasing food demand
This study examined the effects of seed coating and priming treatments on dry direct-seeded early rice under both field and growth chamber conditions and explore starch metabolism changes during seed germination induced by pre-sowing seed treatments in response to chilling stress
The pre-sowing seed treatments enhanced the growth of rice seedlings compared with the non-treated control (Table 1)
Summary
Global agriculture production systems are threatened by climate change, resource shortages and pressure from the ever-increasing food demand. It has been estimated that by 2050, the world population is projected to increase to 9.5 billion and the grain production must increase by 1 % annually to meet the growing demand for food (Rosegrant et al 1995). The wide adoption of double-season rice systems in Asia increases multiple cropping index expressed as a ratio between total sown area a year and the area of the cultivated.
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