Iranian Journal of Seed Research

Extended abstract
Introduction: A wide range of deteriorative conditions (especially moisture content and temperature) may affect seed quality during storage which may lead to seed aging. As the most important component of the phenylpropanoids pathway, trans-cinnamic acid, found abundantly in plants and its endogenous levels is influenced by stress conditions. The present study was conducted to investigate germination features, seed reserve mobilization, electrolyte leakage and malondialdehyde content in aged cowpea seeds affected by different concentrations of cinnamic acid.
Materials and Methods: The research has been performed in the laboratory of Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrood University of Technology, Iran. The experiment was designed as a factorial (two factors of the experiment included two levels of seed quality including non-aged and aged seeds and five levels of cinnamic acid concentrations including 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 µM) based on a completely randomized design. Accelerated aging was applied as an efficient method to mimic storage conditions in the presence of accelerating factors. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) seeds (Bastam local variety) were incubated in a relative humidity of 95% and a temperature of 43 °C for 72 h to accelerate aging. Both seed lots were treated with 5 different concentrations of cinnamic acid for 6 h followed by standard germination and vigor tests. Data of germination and vigor tests were processed using the GERMINATOR software. Heterotrophic growth, seed reserves mobilization, electrical conductivity and membrane lipid peroxidation were assessed using the available methods.
Results: In this study, cowpea seeds responded to cinnamic acid differently based on their primary quality. In deteriorated seeds, concentrations of 45 µM and 60 µM could successfully enhance seed germination percentage, as compared with the aged seeds (i.e., control). A concentration of 45 µM also improved the vigor of deteriorated seeds. Seed pretreatment of 15, 30 and 45 µM enhanced seed reserves utilization in non-aged seeds. Aging negatively affected area under curve, germination uniformity and seedling dry weight of the deteriorated seeds. Application of 30 µM cinnamic acid improved germination uniformity. The area under the curve was positively affected by 15µM and 30µM. Concentrations of 45 µM and 60 µM enhanced seedling dry weight. Applying 45 µM cinnamic acid decreased electrolyte leakage by 38% and improved efficiency of seed reserves mobilization. Moreover, seed malondialdehyde content, as an indication of membrane lipid peroxidation, showed a sharp decline by applying increased concentrations of cinnamic acid.  
Conclusions: Based on our results, cowpea seeds respond to cinnamic acid differently based on their primary quality. These results imply that seed pretreatment with 45 µM cinnamic acid may successfully invigorate aged cowpea seeds. We also conclude that cinnamic acid application cannot improve physiological traits and can be regarded as a potent antioxidant in the invigoration of the aged seeds.
 
Highlights:

1. This is the first study focusing on the role of cinnamic acid in alleviating deterioration in aged seeds.
2. Cinnamic acid has been introduced as a robust antioxidant, which is effective in reducing the deleterious effects of seed deterioration.

Extended abstract
Introduction: With regard to the ever-growing water deficit in the world, the adoption of the direct-seeded rice cultivation system has been suggested as an alternative to the transplanting method. One of the disadvantages of the direct-seeded method is low and non-uniform germination and emergence due to low seed vigor in rice. Priming is a technique which improves the rate and uniformity of seed germination under these conditions. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of priming treatments on seed germination of different rice cultivars under different temperature conditions using the thermal time model.
Materials and methods: This study was conducted in 2019 at the seed research laboratory of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. In this experiment, germination of primed and non-primed seeds in three rice cultivars (Nada, Anam, and Tolo) was investigated under different temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C). The priming treatments which consisted of control, hydropriming, and osmopriming with different chemicals (potassium chloride 2%, potassium nitrate 1%, calcium chloride 4%, glycine betaine 10 ppm, salicylic acid 10 ppm, and ascorbic acid 10 ppm) were investigated under different temperatures.
Results: The results showed that priming treatments had no significant effect on the seed germination percentage of rice cultivars at different temperatures. The thermal time model based on binomial distribution fitted well to cumulative germination percentages in all priming treatments. Among the parameters of the thermal time model, the greatest priming effect was on the reduction of the thermal coefficient, followed by the reduction of the sigma coefficient, which resulted in the increased rate and uniformity of germination. Priming treatments had no significant effect on base temperature. Also, the responses of rice cultivars to seed priming treatments varied so that in Anam and Neda, priming with calcium chloride but in Tolo, hydropriming was more effective on the model parameters, especially thermal time to 50% of germination.
Conclusion: In general, priming treatments did not affect the base temperature of germination in rice cultivars, but they significantly affected the rate and uniformity of seed germination. As the latter issue is one of the main problems in the direct-seeded rice system, suitable priming treatments for each cultivar can be adopted to increase the rate and uniformity of seed germination and emergence in this system.

Highlights:

1. The thermal time model can be used to select the appropriate priming treatment for improving seed germination components of rice cultivars.
2. The responses of rice cultivars to different seed priming treatments were different.
3. Priming treatments did not improve the base temperature of seed germination in rice cultivars, but they significantly affected seed germination rate and uniformity.

Extended Abstract
Introduction: Safflower seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids with a high capacity for peroxidation, which have a high potential to reduce germination and seed vigor during the storage period. Therefore, Introducing appropriate methods to preserve or improve their germplasm during storage would be advantageous. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of seed priming on germination and vigor of safflower seeds (Sofeh and Sina cultivars).
Materials and Methods: A three-factor experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with three replications before and after artificial deterioration. The experimental factors included controlled deterioration of seeds at 45°C in six levels (no deterioration, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 days) and priming in four levels (no prime, hydropriming, salicylic acid 50 mg/l and sodium chloride 5 percent).
Results: Artificial aging strongly and linearly reduced the germination ability of safflower seeds, and germinability and seed vigor reach zero in a time interval which lasts between 2.5 to 4.5 days (depending on the treatment and the investigated trait). The use of priming prior to artificial aging was more advantageous than priming after artificial aging. In addition, priming with salicylic acid was more useful compared to other priming treatments.
Conclusion: Priming of safflower seeds before storage would result in the extended shelf-life of the stored seeds while also preserving the seed germination potential. 

Highlights:

1. The effect of priming on germination and vigor of safflower seeds before and after artificial deterioration was compared and investigated.
2. The effect of priming before and after artificial deterioration on the improvement of safflower seed quality varied in different cultivars.