Abstract
Seed deterioration during rice seed storage can lead to seed vigor loss, which adversely affects agricultural production, the long-term preservation of germplasm resources, and the conservation of species diversity. However, the mechanisms underlying seed vigor maintenance remain largely unknown. In this study, 16 hybrid rice combinations were created using four sterile lines and four restorer lines that have been widely planted in southern China. Following artificial aging and natural aging treatments, germination percentage and metabolomics analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to identify the metabolite markers that could accurately reflect the degree of aging of the hybrid rice seeds. Significant differences in the degree of seed deterioration were observed among the 16 hybrid rice combinations tested, with each hybrid combination having a different germination percentage after storage. The hybrid rice combination with the storage-resistant restorer line Guanghui122 exhibited the highest germination percentage under both natural and artificial storage. A total of 89 metabolic peaks and 56 metabolites were identified, most of which were related to primary metabolism. Interestingly, the content of galactose, gluconic acid, fructose and glycerol in the seeds increased significantly during the aging process. Absolute quantification indicated that galactose and gluconic acid were highly significantly negatively correlated with the germination percentage of the seeds under the different aging treatments. The galactose content was significantly positively correlated with gluconic acid content. Additionally, glycerol showed a significant negative correlation with the germination percentage in most hybrid combinations. Based on the metabolomics analysis, metabolite markers that could accurately reflect the aging degree of hybrid rice seeds were identified. Galactose and gluconic acid were highly significantly negatively correlated with the germination percentage of the seeds, which suggested that these metabolites could constitute potential metabolic markers of seed vigor and aging. These findings are of great significance for the rapid and accurate evaluation of seed aging degree, the determination of seed quality, and the development of molecular breeding approaches for high-vigor rice seeds.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important foodChen et al Rice (2022) 15:7 rice cultivation region of southern China, resulting in significant production losses
Through germination tests and metabolomics analysis using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS) of the seeds after artificial and natural aging treatments, we found that the seeds of hybrid combinations derived from the restorer line ‘Guanghui122’ were highly resistant to deterioration
Seed Germination of Different Rice Hybrid Combinations Following Aging Treatment Differs Significantly Using 16 hybrid rice combinations as experimental materials, the harvested seeds were subjected to natural aging and artificial aging treatments, and the seed germination before and after aging was calculated (Fig. 1)
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important foodChen et al Rice (2022) 15:7 rice cultivation region of southern China, resulting in significant production losses. Seed vigor is related to the long-term storage of germplasm resources and the preservation of species diversity. Improving seed storability by maintaining seed vigor during storage is important in rice production (Aibara et al 1986). Multiple “omics” studies have demonstrated that many physiological, cellular, biochemical, and metabolic alterations occur during seed storage, and a number of genes related to the storability of rice seeds have been identified, including aldehyde dehydrogenase 7 (OsALDH7) (Shin et al 2009), three rice lipoxygenase (LOX) isozymes (Zhang et al 2007), and rice protein repair enzyme L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase PIMT1 (Aibara et al 1986). Alterations in the expression of genes or proteins during seed storage influence the production and metabolism of small molecules (Suzuki and Matsukura 1997). Metabolomics, as a comprehensive, unbiased, highthroughput analysis of complex metabolite mixtures in target organisms, has been applied in several seed studies (Hall et al 2002)
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