Abstract
Seed germination is a critical parameter for the successful development of sustainable agricultural practices. While seed germination is impaired by environmental constraints emerging from the climate change scenario, several types of simple procedures, known as priming, can be used to enhance it. Seed priming is defined as the process of regulating seed germination by managing a series of parameters during the initial stages of germination. Hydropriming is a highly accessible and economic technique that involves soaking of seeds in water followed by drying. Biopriming refers to the inoculation of seeds with beneficial microorganism. The present study aims to investigate whether hydropriming and biopriming could enhance seed germination. Thereby, the germination of Medicago truncatula seeds exposed to hydropriming and/or Bacillus spp. isolates was monitored for two-weeks. The seeds were sown in trays containing two types of in situ agricultural soils collected from Northern India (Karsara, Varanasi). This region is believed to be contaminated by solid waste from a nearby power plant. Phenotypic parameters had been monitored and compared to find the most appropriate combination of treatments. Additionally, qRT-PCR was used to evaluate the expression levels of specific genes used as molecular indicators of seed quality. The results show that, while hydropriming significantly enhanced seed germination percentage, biopriming resulted in improved seedling development, represented by increased biomass rather than seedling length. At a molecular level, this is reflected by the upregulation of genes involved in DNA damage repair and antioxidant defence. In conclusion, hydropriming and biopriming are efficient to improve seed germination and seedling establishment in soils collected from damaged sites of Northern India; this is reflected by morphological parameters and molecular hallmarks of seed quality.
Highlights
Seed germination is a critical parameter for the successful development of both cultivated crops and wild species
Hydropriming and biopriming are efficient to improve seed germination and seedling establishment in soils collected from damaged sites of Northern India; this is reflected by morphological parameters and molecular hallmarks of seed quality
The relatively low basal germination in soil may be due to the higher than optimal temperatures registered at the growing site; the optimal temperature for M. truncatula seed germination was reported to be around 18–20 ◦ C [37]
Summary
Seed germination is a critical parameter for the successful development of both cultivated crops and wild species. Depending on plant species, seed morphology and physiology, different priming treatments can be applied, triggering the so-called “pre-germinative metabolism” [2]. This is characterized by rapid water uptake, which in turn activates a series of dynamic biochemical events such as the use of reserve storage compounds (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins), production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent activation of antioxidant enzymes, DNA damage sensing and repair [3]. Intense DNA repair, essential for de novo DNA synthesis in embryo cells [4], and enhanced antioxidant functions are the prerequisites of a successful germination process and can be used as molecular markers of seed vigour [5,6,7,8,9]
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