Priming of Solanum melongena L. Seeds Enhances Germination, Alters Antioxidant Enzymes, Modulates ROS, and Improves Early Seedling Growth: Indicating Aqueous Garlic Extract as Seed-Priming Bio-Stimulant for Eggplant Production

Muhammad Ali,Bakht Amin,Husain Ahmad,Muhammad Imran Ghani,Zhihui Cheng,Muhammad Jawaad Atif,Sikandar Hayat

doi:10.3390/app9112203

Muhammad Ali, Bakht Amin + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app9112203

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Abstract

The current study was aimed to evaluate the seed priming potential of AGE (aqueous garlic extracts) to enhance seed germination and early seedling growth of eggplant. Different concentrations (100, 200, and 300 µg mL−1) of AGE were evaluated along with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and salicylic acid (SA), plant growth regulators with reported seed priming potential whereas, water was taken as a control treatment. Eggplant seeds were primed for 4-, 8-, and 12-h and seed germination traits such germination rate index, germination percentage, mean germination time, and early seedling growth traits such as fresh and dry weights, root, and shoot lengths were observed. Moreover, plant antioxidant enzymes activities and lipid peroxidation levels, soluble protein contents and reactive oxygen species were monitored to establish the stimulatory/inhibitory effects of the treatments. Our results indicate priming potential of AGE, SA, and MeJA to enhance seed germination and early seedling growth in eggplant and the effects were obvious in various morphological and physiological traits. Seed priming significantly altered the antioxidant enzymes activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) with alteration in the reactive oxygen species (ROS). Interestingly, priming duration also affected the bioactivity of these chemicals because seed priming with 300 µg mL−1 AGE for 4 h had a positive influence, however, prolonged exposure to the same concentration inhibited the seed germination process and induced oxidative stress on the seedlings with elevated levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) content. We propose AGE seed priming as a bio-stimulant to enhance seed germination and early seedling growth in eggplant, and the results hence lay the foundation for the preparation of garlic-based compounds to improve vegetables production under plastic tunnels and greenhouse production units.

Highlights

By definition, seed germination is the incorporation of events that commence with the uptake of water by a dry seed and terminate with the elongation of the embryonic axis, resulting into visible germination [1]
The outcome of the study is the positive effects of seed priming on eggplant seed germination and early seedlings growth
Our findings indicated that seed priming stimulated germination and enhanced numerous physiological responses such as antioxidant enzymes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulation, and soluble protein abundance in the randomly selected eggplant seeds

Summary

Introduction

By definition, seed germination is the incorporation of events that commence with the uptake of water by a dry seed and terminate with the elongation of the embryonic axis, resulting into visible germination [1]. It is the primal process in the plants life and may be regarded as the characteristic. Sci. 2019, 9, 2203 phenomenon to establish the proceeding plant growth and development in a particular environment. Each seed is equipped with the necessary food and biochemical drive forces to establish its existence into the provided environment [4]. Various reports show that numerous physiological activities such as antioxidative enzymes [5], hormones such as Abscisic acid (ABA) [6], Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) [7] and Gibberellic acid (GA3 ) [8], starch metabolism [9] and soluble sugars content [10], the redox potential [11]

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