Abstract
The effects of ultrasonic treatments on the germination and seedling growth of aged tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and Russian wild rye (Psathyrostaehys juncea Nevski) seeds were determined using orthogonal matrix experimental design with four ultrasonic factors. The multivariate analysis of variance detected significant differences and coupling effects of the pair-wise factors. The activities of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Peroxidase (POD) and the Malondialdehyde (MDA) content were affected. The ultrasonic treatments had positive effects on the germination percentage (GP) of the aged seeds and the growth of the seedlings (GS) and therefore we provided a basic evidence for the application of ultrasonic treatment to pretreat aged grass seeds. For the four ultrasonic factors, the optimal conditions were a sonication time of 36.7 min, a sonication temperature of 35 °C, an output power of 367 W and a seed soaking time 4.1 h after binary quadratic regressions analyses. The ultrasonic treatment has the potential to improve seedling growth. Moreover, the longevity of the tall fescue and the Russian wild rye seeds was approximately 9.5 and 11.5 years, respectively, under natural conditions of storage. The physiological mechanisms that might contribute to the improved GP and GS were discussed.
Highlights
The effects of ultrasonic treatments on the germination and seedling growth of aged tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and Russian wild rye (Psathyrostaehys juncea Nevski) seeds were determined using orthogonal matrix experimental design with four ultrasonic factors
Germination did not occur in treatments 7, 8 and 9 in groups tall fescue harvested at 2014 and 2010 (Tf 2014 and Tall fescue (Tf) 2010) and Rw (2009) which were at a sonication temperature of 65 °C (Fig. 1A–C)
The lowest germination percentage (GP) was in treatment 5 (T5 ) among the three groups (Fig. 2A–C), whereas the highest GP was in treatment 4 (T4) for the Rw seeds from 2009 (Fig. 2C)
Summary
The effects of ultrasonic treatments on the germination and seedling growth of aged tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) and Russian wild rye (Psathyrostaehys juncea Nevski) seeds were determined using orthogonal matrix experimental design with four ultrasonic factors. Dried seeds can be stored for a relatively long period of time, but eventually, the deterioration or ageing of seeds can occur irreversibly[4] Both the prestorage conditions (i.e., temperature and seed moisture content) and genotypic effects play essential roles in affecting the longevity characteristics of seeds[5]. The methods to increase the germination of aged grass seeds and improve seedling growth might be effective; no information is available either on the effects of US or the study of thier optimal conditions on the aged seeds of tall fescue and Russian wild rye grasses
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