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Volume 1, Issue 2 (1-2015)
Volume 3, Issue 1 (8-2016)
Priming of seeds by magnetic fields (magneto priming) is proposed as an ecological, useful and low-priced method for improvement of seed germination and plant emergence. In order to evaluate the germination behavior of sesame seeds affected by magnetic fields, an experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with 22 treatments (non-exposure to magnetic fields (control) and 21 magneto priming treatments) with three replications at the college of agriculture, the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 2014. the seed of sesame put into a plastic bag bulky and was treated with different intensity of magnetic fields (25, 50, 75 and 100 mT) for several times (10, 20, 30, 60 and 120 minutes). For assessment of germination traits of sesame under constant magnetic field conditions, magnetic tapes with three mT strength were used in each Petri dish throughout the experiment. Results showed that magnetic fields had no significant effects on final germination percentage and mean germination time and all magnetic treatments except for 75 mT at 60 minutes indicated reducing effects on germination percentage in comparison to control. Priming of seeds with magnetic fields in 50 mT strength for 20 minutes led to the increment of germination rate compared to control treatment but all levels of 100mT treatment caused a reduction in germination rate than control. The most radicle length, seedling length and seedling vigor length index belong to 75 mT at 60 minutes treatment and the most seedling dry weight and seedling vigor weight index related to 100 mT for 20 minutes treatment. Ranking of treatments showed that exposure of seeds for one hour in 75 mT and 10 minutes in 25 mT magnetic fields strength had the best outcomes.
Volume 5, Issue 1 (9-2018)
Extended abstract
Highlights:
1- Investigating the foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine in maternal Echinacea purpurea plant under drought stress in germination of seed.
2- The foliar application of salicylic acid and spermine on maternal plants of Echinacea improved germination quality under water stress.
Volume 7, Issue 1 (9-2020)
Extended Abstract
Introduction: Sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata) is a corn variety that is distinguished from other varieties due to the presence of genes that affect starch production in the endosperm. Given that the most of plants including sweet corn face with problems such as non- uniform germination and poor seed emergence in the early stages of germination. Thus, the use of organic stimulants is one of the ways to reduce the harmful effects of non-biological stresses, increase seed germination, uniform appearance and increase their yield and quality. The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of different concentrations of chitosan on seed germination and some biochemical traits of sweet corn under osmotic potential conditions.
Materials and Methods: To investigate the effect of chitosan and osmotic stress on germination and biochemical parameters of sweet corn, a factorial experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with four replications at the Seed Technology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Yasouj University in 2017. The first factor was osmotic stress at 0, -3, -6, and -9 bar osmotic potentials and the second factor was pre-treatment at five levels of chitosan zero, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1% and one level of distilled water. The seeds were immersed in the desired solutions of chitosan for 3 hours at 25 °C and under dark conditions, and then the pre-treated seeds were germinated under standard germination condition. In each petri dish, 25 seeds were placed on a filter paper and osmotic potential was applied using polyethylene glycol 6000. Seed germination was carried out in the germinator at 25 ± 1 ° C for 7 days under dark conditions. The germination traits and biochemical traits were measured according to standard methods.
Results: Osmotic stress reduced germination percentage and germination rate, seedling vigour length index, germination uniformity coefficient, allometric coefficient, and soluble protein content and also increased the mean germination time, proline, soluble sugar content and hydrogen peroxide. Pre-treatment of seeds with a concentration of 0.5% chitosan increased protein, proline, and soluble sugars content at all osmotic stress levels. At the osmotic stress levels, the highest and lowest levels of hydrogen peroxide respectively were observed in 0.5% chitosan treatment and distilled water treatment. The results showed that pre-treatment with 0.5% chitosan increased germination percentage and rate and seedling vigour length index, and also reduced the mean germination time and malondialdehyde. Pre-treatment of seed with zero and 1% chitosan led to reduction in some of the germination and biochemical traits in comparison with 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75% chitosan.
Conclusions: The results showed that seed treatment with 0.5% chitosan could reduce the harmful effects of osmotic potential on some germination and biochemical traits in sweet corn seedlings and improve seedling growth.
Highlights:
1-Chitosan increases the germination percentage and germination rate.
2-Chitosan increases soluble sugars, proline, and soluble protein.
3-Chitosan reduces the amount of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide.
Volume 7, Issue 1 (9-2020)
Extended abstract
Introduction: Camelthorn (Alhagi maurorum) has a high tolerance to salt and water stresses, and its forage quality is greater than cereal straw and is equal to alfalfa. Seeds of camelthorn do not germinate easily due to the hard seed coat. Therefore, camelthorn cultivation as an agricultural crop needs more research, especially on breaking seed dormancy and increasing germination. Despite numerous studies about camelthorn as a weed, there are few studies on evaluating agronomic factors of camelthorn as a field crop. Hence, in this study, some aspects of germination and salinity tolerance of camelthorn were examined.
Materials and Methods: In this research, different aspects of camelthorn germination were examined at the National Salinity Research Center in 2018. In the first experiment, different pretreatments including control, sandpaper, hydro-priming, hot water, and sulphuric acid were assessed. With the selection of sulphuric acid as the best treatment, varying durations (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 min) and concentrations (98% and 75%) of sulphuric acid priming were compared in the second and third experiments. In the fourth experiment, the seeds collected in 2018 were compared with the seeds collected in 2017 and 2016. The effect of different salt stress levels (0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 dS m-1) was evaluated on camelthorn germination and early growth in the fifth experiment. In the sixth experiment, lighting regimes including continuous dark, continuous light, and an alternative period of dark- light were examined and in the seventh experiment sibling factors (together and individual seeds) were evaluated. Seed germination and seedling length were calculated and salinity tolerance threshold levels and 50% reduction threshold were estimated.
Results: The results of the first experiment showed that the highest germination percentage was obtained in sulphuric acid priming (56.6%), which was six folds greater than the control. In the second experiment, it was shown that the highest germination percentage (81.1%) and seedling growth (5.7 cm) was observed in sulphuric acid priming 98% for 25 min. Important note was that these results were related to domestically produced sulphuric acid, and the highest germination and seedling growth were observed in 75% concentration for the imported sulphuric acid. In the fourth experiment, it was found that at least 3 years of seed longevity had no significant effect on seed germination. Considerable losses in germination and growth were observed from 30 dS m-1 salinity level; however, germination did not completely stop even at 36 dS m-1 salinity. In the sixth and the seventh experiments, it was found that there were no significant differences between seeds germination in the continuous dark, continuous light, and an alternative period of dark- light as well as between individual and together seeds. So, camelthorn seed is not photoblastic and had no negative sibling factor.
Conclusions: Generally, it was concluded that the best method for improving germination is priming with sulphuric acid 98% (internal) or 75% (imported) for 25 min. According to achievement of high germination in sulphuric acid pre-treatments (chemical scarification), it seems that seed dormancy in camelthorn is presumably physical. Furthermore, although the salinity tolerance threshold of this plant is estimated 14.2 dS m-1, it can germinate minimally even in very higher salinity. Light salt stress not only decreases the germination of this plant but also is necessary for growth promoting. Based on the high salinity tolerance of camelthorn in the germination stage, its cultivation in haloculture systems is recommended for more investigation.
Highlights:
1- Sulphuric acid 98% priming for 25 min led to breaking seed dormancy and acceptable camelthorn germination.
2- In moderate salinity, germination was not significantly changed and seedling growth was promoted compared with the non-stress conditions.
3- Salinity tolerance threshold level of camelthorn was estimated 14.2 dS m-1.
Volume 7, Issue 2 (3-2021)
Introduction: The weed invasion is one of the main yield-reducing factors in crops. They are potent competitors on vital resources which limits the availability of the resources for crops. Allelopathy is one of the weeds' abilities that commonly with inhibitory influences, affects plant communities' behavior. Therefore, the evaluation of these compounds' effects is important on crop plants. Also, the identification of allelopathic plants and their bioactive compounds can be a suitable approach to weed management. Thus, the aim of this study was the evaluation of the allelopathic potential of C. falcate on germination indices of wheat seeds and the mode of action of the extract on some enzyme activities. Furthermore, secondary metabolites in methanolic root extract were identified and reported.
Materials and methods: Germination and seedling experiments of Triticum aestivum var. Sardary seeds were tested by 0, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% concentrations of C. falcata root extracts based on CRD with four replications at the research laboratory of Maragheh University during 2018-19. Also, the influence of the extract was studied on enzyme activities of alpha-amylase, catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and polyphenol oxidase. Furthermore, chemical compounds of the root methanolic extract identified by GC/MS instruments.
Results: Germination percentage and germination rate decreased significantly with the increase in the concentration of the extract, and germination stopped at concentrations above 15%. The results of seedling growth showed severe inhibitory effects of the extract on radicle and shoot organs of wheat seedlings that associated with reducing of the lengths and weights of the organs, and consequently, the vigor of seedling declined. The extract significantly reduced the activity of alpha-amylase, however, the activities of antioxidant enzymes first increased at low and medium concentrations but at high concentrations, the activities declined. The phytochemical analysis identified 62 compounds in the root of this plant that Octadecatrienal, Dihydro-4H-pyrazolo [3, 4-d] pyrimidin-4-one, Hexadecanoic acid, Hexadecanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-1 (hydroxymethyl) ethyl ester, Isopropyl isothiocyanate, and Cyclohexanone could be effective compounds on seed germination.
Conclusion: C. falcata had a very strong inhibitory effect on the seed viability and seed vigor of the wheat seeds. According to the results, the mode of action of the allelopathic compounds is induced by induction of oxidative stress and inhibition of seed reserves remobilization during germination. The high sensitivity of alpha-amylase activity to allelochemicals was detected in this experiment. The decrease in the activity of all studied enzymes at high concentrations of C. falcata root extract was also significant. Stearic acid and palmitic acid derivatives accounted for about 30% of the compounds, which are very likely to interfere with the activity of the enzymes.
Highlights:
- Allelopathy effects of C. falcata root extract on germination indices of wheat were studied.
- Chemical compounds identified were in methanol extract of the plant roots of C. falcate.
- Oxidative stress is induced by the allelochemicals of C. falcata.
Volume 8, Issue 2 (3-2022)
Extended Abstract
Introduction: A large number of experimental evidence indicates the positive effect of irradiating the seed with ultrasonic waves; so that irradiation causes the production of a more vigorous seedling. Conversely, inappropriate intensity and duration of irradiation can impose deleterious effects on seedlings by damaging the enzymatic activity. There are complex inter-and intra-relations between irradiation components (pre-soaking duration, temperature, and duration of irradiation) and response variables [seedling dry weight (SDW) and percent of abnormal seedlings (PAS)]. Therefore the balance values of the irradiation components cannot be precisely obtained by mean comparison. This study aimed to optimize (finding the balance values of) irradiation components for increased SDW, but diminished PAS of mung bean, using an artificial neural network.
Materials and Methods: A factorial experiment was conducted based on a completely randomized design with three replications. The factors were six pre-soaking durations (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 hours), 5 irradiation durations (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 minutes), and 4 irradiation temperatures (17, 22, 27, and 32 oC). The 25 seeds were chosen for each petri dish. The multi-layer perceptron neural network was used to quantify the relations between variables; the experimental factors were used as the input (regressors), and PAS and SDW as the output of the model (response variables).
Results: The analysis of variance results indicated that the simple and interactive effects of factors were significant on PAS and SDW. The structure 3:3:2 of the neural network, which is based on Secant Hyperbolic function, was suitable. The SDW and PAS were negligibly different for the contribution of the factors in determining their changes. In terms of relative contribution, the factors ranked from higher to lower as irradiation duration, irradiation temperature, and pre-soaking duration. The optimized values of components of irradiation by the neural network were irradiation temperature of 17.96 oC, irradiation duration of 5.3 minutes, and pre-soaking duration of 11.25 hours. For these components, SDW was 27% higher, and PAS tended to be 0.6% lower, compared to the best component combination gotten by mean comparison.
Conclusion: Due to the highly strong interaction of irradiation components on seedling growth, the effect of component (s) tends to be changed intensively with changing the quantity of each component. In terms of finding the best combination of irradiation components, the neural network was more efficient than the mean comparison. Therefore, the neural network could be used as a complementary procedure in such investigations.
Highlights:
1- Irradiation components including irradiation duration and temperature, and pre-soaking duration affected seedling growth.
2- Inappropriate irradiation components diminished seedling growth to the below of no-irradiation conditions.
3- The optimum (balanced) levels of irradiation components increased seedling growth remarkably.
Volume 11, Issue 1 (9-2024)
Introduction: Drought stress in dryland wheat cultivation, where the plant solely relies on rainwater, can have a detrimental effect on plant growth. Given the lengthy duration of breeding projects, identifying stress-tolerant breeding lines at the germination stage can significantly reduce the time and cost of dryland wheat breeding programs for developing drought-resistant varieties. Identifying the stress tolerance of unreleased lines through laboratory simulation of drought stress, including novel methods to aid in selecting drought-tolerant varieties in the final stages, is an innovative approach. Moreover, the germination stage is crucial for plant establishment. This stage is critical for plant growth and development and can significantly impact bread wheat yield if tolerant lines are available.
Materials and Methods: This experiment was conducted to investigate the germination characteristics of 11 advanced dryland bread wheat lines under four osmotic potential levels (-2, -4, -6, and -8 bars) induced by polyethylene glycol 6000, along with a control (for a total of five levels), under laboratory (controlled) conditions at Persian Gulf University. The investigation was performed as a factorial experiment under a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Traits were measured in this experiment, including germination percentage, germination rate, growth rates of radicles and plumules, dry weight and length of radicle and plumule, vigor indices I and II, seedling length, and allometric coefficient.
Results: The average of all traits decreased with increasing stress levels. Results of ANOVA showed a significant interaction at the 1% level between lines and drought stress treatments. Therefore, physical slicing analysis was conducted at each stress level to compare the lines. The response of the lines to different traits was of an ordinal interaction type. As drought stress levels increased, the germination and rate percentage, radicle and plumule growth rates, and seedling length decreased. Lines 3 and 4 exhibited the highest germination percentage (58.86) and rate (3.60 seeds per day), as well as root (0.85 cm per day) and plumule rates (0.70 cm per day), and radicle (8.83 cm) and seedling (7.12 cm) length.
Conclusions: The response of the lines to different osmotic stress levels varied in terms of various traits. Based on the traits evaluated, lines 3 and 4 exhibited superior drought stress tolerance. These lines could be utilized in future breeding programs.
Highlights:
- Evaluating and screening wheat breeding lines for drought tolerance by simulating stress conditions in the laboratory and comparing morphological traits in early plant growth stages.
- The response of the lines to similar levels of drought stress was heterogeneous, and physical shear decomposition based on each stress level revealed an ordered interaction between line level and stress.
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Seed Science and Technology, Seed Physiology, Seed Ecology, Modeling, Seed Health, Germination Characteristics, Seed Dormancy, Seed Ageing, Seed Storage, Seed PrimingVote
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