X-radiation of Lotus corniculatus L. seeds improves germination and initial seedling growth

Abstract

Purpose Lotus corniculatus L. (bird’s foot trefoil, BFT) is a valuable perennial legume forage species due to its high nutritive value, persistence under grazing, and condensed tannin content that improves ruminant production and prevents bloating. However, it is less preferred by farmers compared with other perennial forage legumes such as alfalfa because of slow germination, slow establishment and low seedling vigor. This study was conducted to determine whether X-ray seed priming could improve these deficiencies. Materials and methods Seeds of L. corniculatus cv. ‘AC Langille’ were irradiated at 0, 100, and 300 Gy. Non-irradiated and irradiated seeds were sown on Murashige and Skoog/Gamborg medium under in vitro conditions and cultured for 21 days. Germination percentage, mean germination time (MGT), germination rate index, length of shoot and root, fresh and dry weight of shoot and root, dry matter ratios of shoot and root, water content of shoot and root, and seedling vigor index were measured. Results The results of this study demonstrated that X-ray seed priming significantly increased the germination percentage of L. corniculatus, increased the germination rate and thereby shortened the MGT, and improved seedling growth. However, X-ray pretreatment also decreased seedling shoot and root biomass. Conclusions In this study, it is reported for the first time that X-ray seed pretreatment has the potential to address important seedling establishment issues in L. corniculatus.