Seed vigour contributes to yield improvement in dry direct‐seeded rainfed lowland rice

Dry direct‐seeded rice (DSR) cultivation is widely spreading in tropical Asia, but drought and nutrient deficiency stresses often cause crop failure in rainfed lowlands. The objective of this study was to dissect the physio‐morphological characteristics associated with crop establishment and early vigour of DSR under drought and P deficiency conditions in the Philippines. It was found that new drought‐resistant cultivars bred for DSR (Rc348 and Rc192) had faster germination and sprout growth than popular irrigated rice cultivars (Rc222 and Rc10) under soil water deficit due to rapid moisture acquisition by the germinating seeds from drying soils. There was a significant correlation between seed moisture content and the reduction in seed dry weight, and between reduction in seed dry weight and shoot elongation under both control and drought stress treatments at the germination stage. At the seedling stage, the root growth of Rc348 under drought tended to be more vigorous with its higher root‐to‐shoot ratio compared to Rc222 and Rc10. The seedling vigour of Rc348 under P deficiency was also greater than that of Rc222 due to its greater root growth and P uptake. The yields of Rc348 and Rc192 grown under rainfed condition at the target drought‐prone site where a dry spell of 13 days occurred during crop establishment were higher (4.0–4.1 t ha^?1) than the yield of Rc10 (3.0 t ha^?1). These results suggest that quick germination and seedling vigour with quick root anchorage and great nutrient uptake capacity, even with limitations of soil moisture and nutrients, would be important traits for DSR in rainfed lowlands.     

Seed and seedling vigour in relation to crop growth and yield

In theory, seed germination, vigour and size (three aspects of seed quality) may influence crop yield through both indirect and direct effects. The indirect effects include those on percentage emergence and time from sowing to emergence. These influence yield by altering plant population density, spatial arrangement, and crop duration. Direct effects on subsequent plant performance are more difficult to discern. A number of different approaches to testing the hypothesis that seed quality affects subsequent plant performance (implicit in some definitions of vigour) are illustrated. The results show that it is possible to detect such effects in some circumstances.     

The effect of parent plant nutrition on seed size, viability and vigour and on germination of wheat and triticale at different temperatures

Seed was obtained from two adjacent trials of wheat (cv. Avalon) and triticale (cv. Lasko) harvested in 1990. The treatments consisted of factorial combinations of five levels of spring nitrogen (50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 kg N ha^-1) with fungicide treatments designed to control foliar diseases. Seed was graded by size into different fractions. Application of foliar fungicides to the parent plant increased the proportion of large seed in wheat but not in triticale. Fungicide application had no effect on seed vigour (quantified as the value of K; after controlled deterioration), final germination, median germination time (t₅₀) or rate of germination. Parent plant nutrition altered the proportions of seed in different size categories in triticale and wheat. In laboratory germination tests, final germination of wheat increased with seed size. Large (> 3.0 mm diameter) wheat seed from plots receiving 50 kg N ha“¹ had a lower final germination than large seed from plots which had received greater amounts of nitrogen, but t₅₀ and K; were similar for all nitrogen levels. In triticale, the higher the seed weight, the higher the final germination, the faster the rate and the higher the Ki. Final germination, t₅₀ and K;, were all positively correlated with the amount of nitrogen received by the parent plants. Parent plant nutrition had no effect on the response to temperature of final germination, t₅₀, or rate of germination for large or small seeds of both wheat and triticale.     

Stored polyadenylated RNA and loss of vigour in germinating wheat embryos

Loss of vigour in wheat seed is associated with lesions affecting the rate of disappearance of stored poly A⁺ RNA (presumptive mRNA) in the germinating embryo when germination takes place at a sub-optimal temperature. During germination in the presence of α-amanitin and consequent of de novo polyA⁺ RNA biosynthesis, the wheat embryo can degrade up to 70% of the stored poly A⁺ RNA of the quiescent embryo before any significant reduction in the rate of protein biosynthesis in the embryo becomes apparent. It is possible that two subpopulations of poly A⁺ RNA species exist in wheat embryos during early germination, one population being degraded rapidly upon rehydration of the embryo whilst the other population supports protein biosynthesis in the initial germination stages prior to degradation.     

Intracellular levels of polyadenylated RNA and loss of vigour in germinating wheat embryos

Polyadenylated-RNA (Poly(A)⁺RNA) levels have been studied during the germination of wheat embryos of high viability but differing vigour. In high-vigour embryos imbibed at 20°C the level of poly(A)⁺RNA falls dramatically over the first hour of imbibition, then remains constant up to 3 h of imbibition before increasing rapidly to a level similar to that found in the quiescent state by 7 h of imbibition. Median-vigour embryos imbibed at 20°C show similar changes in poly(A)⁺RNA content but the initial decrease and subsequent increase in poly(A)⁺RNA levels are less marked. On imbibition at 10°C, the poly(A)⁺RNA content in high-vigour embryos decreases to a lesser extent during the first hour than at 20°C and the level increases more slowly over the next 6 h than during the same time period at 20°C. The level of poly(A)⁺RNA in medianvigour embryos remains constant over the first 4 h of germination and then falls to a level of about half that found in quiescent high-vigour embryos. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of total-RNA samples shows that the polyadenylic acid (poly(A)) sequences occur in RNA species ranging in size from 35-7S. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of isolated poly(A) sequences demonstrates the presence of two size classes of poly(A) in quiescent embryos, but at 20°C a more heterodisperse pattern appears by 2 h of imbibition. At 10°C, two size classes of poly(A) persist throughout the period studied in both high- and median-vigour embryos, although in median-vigour embryos the ratio of larger: smaller poly(A)-tail sizes decreases more rapidly than in high-vigour embryos.Abbreviations Poly(A) polyadenylic acid - poly(U) polyuridylic acid - poly(A)⁺RNA polyadenylated RNA     

Melatonin Promotes Rice Seed Germination under Drought Stress by Regulating Antioxidant Capacity

Drought stress is a serious threat to the germination of plant seeds and the growth of seedlings. Melatonin has been proven to play an important role in alleviating plant stress. However, its effect on seed germination under drought conditions is still poorly understood. Therefore, we studied the effects of melatonin on rice seed germination and physiological characteristics under drought stress. Rice seeds were treated with different concentrations of melatonin (i.e., 0, 20, 100, and 500 μM) and drought stress was simulated with 5% polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG6000). The results showed that 100 μM melatonin can effectively improve the germination potential, rate and index; the vigor index of rice seeds; and the length of the shoot and root. In addition, that treatment also increased the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), and reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA). The grey relational grade between the shoot MDA content and the melatonin seed-soaking treatment was the highest, which could be useful for evaluating the effect of melatonin on drought tolerance. Two-way analysis of variance showed that the effect of single melatonin treatment on rice seeds was more significant than that of single drought stress and interaction treatment of drought and melatonin (p < 0.05). The subordinate function results showed that 100 μM melatonin significantly improved the germination and physiological indexes of rice seeds and effectively alleviated the adverse effects of drought stress on rice seedlings. The results helped to improve the understanding of the morphological and physiological involvement of melatonin in promoting seed germination and seedling development under drought stress.     

种子萌发期4种植物对干旱胁迫的响应及其抗旱性评价研究

用不同浓度PEG-6000的1/2Hoagland溶液模拟干旱胁迫条件,对沙枣、柠条、杠柳、白蜡4种植物种子的总萌发率、幼苗鲜重、活力指数进行研究.结果表明:(1)随着干旱胁迫程度的加剧4种植物种子的总萌发率、幼苗鲜重、活力指数呈下降趋势,且白蜡下降幅度最大,但柠条、沙枣、杠柳的抗旱指数显著高于白蜡;(2)4种植物种子的逐日萌发率和胚根日变化表明:低浓度PEG-6000对柠条和杠柳的种子萌发具有较好的诱发作用,白蜡和杠柳种子萌发比较集中,沙枣和柠条相对比较分散;沙枣、柠条和白蜡胚根生长呈线性增长,而杠柳呈指数式增长;(3)采用隶属函数法对干旱胁迫下4种植物的相对萌发率、相对鲜重、抗旱指数、相对活力指数进行综合评价的结果显示,4种植物种子萌发阶段的抗旱性次序为:柠条>沙枣>杠柳>白蜡.     

Quantitative genetic analysis of seed vigour and pre-emergence seedling growth traits in Brassica oleracea

The ability of seeds to germinate and establish seedlings in a predictable manner under a range of conditions has a direct contribution to the economic success of commercial crops, and should therefore be considered in crop improvement. We measured traits associated with seed vigour and pre-emergence seedling growth in a segregating population of 105 doubled haploid Brassica oleracea lines. The germination traits measured were: mean germination times for unstressed germination; germination under water stress or germination after a heat treatment; and conductivity of seed leachate. The seedling growth traits measured were: seed weight; seedling growth rate; and seedling size at the end of the exponential growth phase. There were some correlations, notably among germination traits, and between seed weight and pre-emergence seedling growth. Heritability of the various traits was typically in the 10–15% range, with heritability of conductivity and mean germination time under water stress 25 and 24% respectively. Collectively the results indicate that germination and pre-emergence seedling growth are under separate genetic control. Quantitative trait loci analyses were carried out on all measurements and revealed significant loci on linkage groups O1, O3, O6, O7 and O9. We suggest that genes at these loci are important in determining predictable seed germination and seedling establishment in practice.     

干旱胁迫下白刺花种子大小与萌发对策

种子大小与种子萌发及其与环境因子的关系是植物种子萌发对策研究中的重要科学问题之一。采用PEG模拟干旱法研究不同干旱胁迫强度(0,5%,10%,15%,20%)下,白刺花(Sophora davidii)种子萌发进程、种子大小与种子萌发及种子命运的关系。结果表明:不同干旱胁迫下,白刺花种子具有相似的萌发进程,但中度干旱处理(10%PEG)萌发率显著高于零干旱(0%PEG)和重度干旱处理(P0.05),重度干旱处理(20%PEG)种子萌发开始时间晚于零干旱和中度干旱处理;种子大小与种子萌发开始时间的关系表现为零干旱处理下呈极显著负线性关系,中度干旱处理(5%PEG,10%PEG)下无相关关系,重度干旱处理(15%PEG,20%PEG)下呈负二次曲线关系;种子大小对种子命运的影响表现为零干旱处理有利于大、小种子萌发和小种子休眠,中度干旱处理(10%PEG)增加中等种子萌发、大种子休眠和小种子死亡风险,重度干旱处理(15%PEG,20%PEG)增加大种子死亡风险、中等种子和小种子休眠。综合分析表明,白刺花种子大小与萌发行为及种子命运的关系具有较强的环境依赖性,即种子萌发行为表现为顺境下种子越大萌发越快,逆境下小种子和大种子较中等种子萌发更快;种子命运表现为顺境增加种子死亡的风险,中度干扰有利于种子萌发,逆境则有利于种子休眠。     

Combined effects of drought and high temperature on water relations of wheat and sorghum

Drought and high temperature are major factors limiting crop production. The two stresses occur together in many regions, but they usually are investigated separately. This study tested the hypothesis that high temperature interacts with drought to affect water relations, and the effect is greater in heat-sensitive wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) than in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench). Wheat and sorghum were grown in soil that was well watered or not watered in controlled chambers at 15/10, 25/20, 35/30 and 40/35 °C day/night. Soil water content (SWC), leaf relative water content (RWC), leaf water potential (), leaf osmotic potential (), leaf turgor potential (P) and osmotic adjustment (OA) were determined at 2-d intervals. All values held nearly constant at all temperatures when soil was well watered but were affected strongly by high temperature when water was withheld. The combined stresses reduced SWC, RWC, Psi and , and unevenly raised P over time, particularly in sorghum. Sorghum also exhibited marked OA at high temperature, which was usually lethal to wheat. High temperature appeared to interact with drought to affect water relations by altering SWC and not by influencing OA. The results demonstrated that crops maintain nearly stable water relations regardless of temperature when moisture is ample, but high temperature strongly affects water relations when water is limiting. Increasing the thermotolerance of wheat might improve its potential to acclimate to both high temperature and drought.     

Effect of tannin content of faba bean (Vicia faba) seed on seed vigour, germination and field emergence

Differences in seed vigour of zero- and high-tannin faba beans were investigated using 25 seed lots of 12 cultivars following earlier reports of poor emergence in the zero-tannin types. Field emergence ranged from 54–96% indicating differences in seed vigour between cultivars all having high laboratory germination (>91%). Seed from zero-tannin accessions with poor emergence had a higher incidence of testa and cotyledon cracking, a smaller percentage of hard seeds, more rapid water uptake, a lower percentage of vital staining of cotyledons and a greater leaching of solutes than high-tannin types. Nevertheless, variation in these characteristics existed between cultivars and lines of both types. Seeds with more cracks in the seed coat and fewer hard seeds imbibed water more rapidly and consequently showed lower levels of vital staining and more cracks in the abaxial surface of the cotyledons. Slower imbibition in polyethylene glycol lessened the incidence of these deleterious characteristics and may provide a practical resolution to the problem of poor field emergence in zero-tannin lines of faba bean with low seed vigour.     

外源CO和NO对水稻种子萌发过程中干旱胁迫损伤的缓解效应

选用水稻品种‘Ⅱ优128’种子为材料,以1.0μmol.L-1高铁血红素(Hematin,H)和200μmol.L-1硝普钠(sodium nitroprusside,SNP)分别作为CO和NO供体,采用PEG-6000模拟干旱胁迫,研究外源CO和NO对干旱胁迫下水稻种子萌发和萌发过程中抗氧化能力的影响。结果表明:高铁血红素和硝普钠处理可以显著提高干旱胁迫下水稻种子的发芽率、芽长和根长;同时显著提高种子淀粉酶活性,显著增加其可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白和脯氨酸含量;还不同程度地诱导增强超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和过氧化物酶(POD)的活性,同时降低质膜相对透性和丙二醛(MDA)含量。研究证实,外源CO和NO可通过调节渗透调节物质含量和保护酶活性来有效缓解干旱胁迫对萌发水稻种子造成的氧化伤害,促进种子萌发生长。     

红砂和霸王种子萌发对干旱与播深条件的响应

红砂(Reaumuria soongorica)和霸王(Zygophyllum xantho xylum)分别是我国西北干旱荒漠区重要的超旱生小灌木和灌木.试验室条件下,研究了两种灌木种子萌发对干旱胁迫(以PEG模拟干旱条件)和播深的响应.干旱胁迫设0、 -0.3、 -0.6、-0.9、-1.2、-1.5、-1.8、-2.1、-2.4、-2.7MPa共10个处理,播深设0、0 .3,0.5,1.0,1.5,2.0,3.0,4.0cm共8个处理.结果显示模拟干旱条件下,供试种的发芽势(3d发芽率)皆从-0.3MPa起即开始显著下降(P<0.05) .发芽率红砂从-0 .9MPa渗透势、霸王从-0.6MPa开始显著降低;种子萌发的最低渗透势阈值红砂和霸王分别为-1.8MPa和-1.5MPa.干旱胁迫对种子胚芽生长有抑制作用,但轻度干旱可促进初生根生长,重度干旱胁迫抑制初生根生长.播深实验表明,红砂和霸王种子均为子叶出土发芽类型 .一般情况下,供试种随播深增加胚芽长度呈增加而初生根呈下降趋势,但霸王在播于土表时初生根生长受到抑制.实验室条件下,达到最大出苗率的播深红砂为0～0.5cm,霸王为0 ～2cm.在适宜条件下,红砂和霸王种子萌发的最低需水量分别为110%和90%,初始萌发时间分别为40h和48h.红砂种子发芽势低(28%)、萌发持续而分散;霸王种子发芽势高(87%) 、萌发整齐.讨论了两种种子发芽对干旱和播深的响应特征及其生态生物学意义.     

Seed provenance determines germination responses of Rumex crispus (L.) under water stress and nutrient availability

Aims Seeds ofRumex crispusfrom six provenances were studied in relation to their germination under drought and presence of nitrogen in the germination and emergence media. We also investigated whether adaptation to soil increases the ability of the species to colonize and establish in contrasting environments along a longitudinal gradient in western Spain by means of a reciprocal transplantation experiment.     

胀果甘草种子萌发对干旱胁迫的生理响应

为探讨胀果甘草种子萌发对干旱胁迫的生理生化适应机制,以聚乙二醇(PEG)-6000模拟干旱胁迫,分析了胀果甘草(Glycyrrhiza inflata)种子萌发过程中发芽率(GR)、丙二醛(MDA)及游离脯氨酸(Pro)、可溶性糖(SS)含量和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)活性的动态变化规律。结果显示,水势为-0.1MPa时,GR达到100%,之后随着干旱胁迫增强而显著降低(P0.05);MDA、Pro含量及SOD、POD活性都表现出水势≥-0.2MPa时增加和-1.4MPa≤水势-0.2MPa时减少的明显趋势(P0.05),这4个指标两两之间的相关关系均达到显著水平(P0.05);而干旱胁迫增强使SS含量显著增加(P0.05)。     

不同种源青檀种子的营养成分及种子活力的差异

以采自安徽（ＡＨ）、山东（ＳＤ）及江苏（ＪＳ）的６个青檀（ＰｔｅｒｏｃｅｌｔｉｓｔａｔａｒｉｎｏｗｉＭａｘｉｍ．）种源种子为材料,测定各种源种子营养成分含量及种子活力。６个种源种子的蛋白质、可溶性糖、淀粉及粗脂肪含量存在较大差异。在种子品质上,６个种源的种子千粒重、浸泡液电导率及简化种子活力指数（ＳＶＩＳ）也存在显著差异。种子中各营养成分含量的高低与ＳＶＩＳ的大小密切相关,复相关系数达０８２２３,以蛋白质含量对ＳＶＩＳ的影响最大,淀粉和粗脂肪含量影响次之,可溶性糖含量影响最小。采用模糊聚类分析法,以种子千粒重、电导率及ＳＶＩＳ为评价指标,可将６个种源的种子品质划分为三大类：第一类包括ＳＤ１、ＡＨ１和ＪＳ１３个种源,种子品质较好;第二类仅为ＡＨ３种源,品质中等;第三类包括ＡＨ２和ＳＤ２２个种源,品质较差。     

外源5-氨基乙酰丙酸对干旱胁迫下甘草种子萌发及幼苗生理特性的影响

以药用植物甘草种子和幼苗为材料,在20%PEG-6000模拟干旱胁迫条件下,测定了不同浓度外源5-氨基乙酰丙酸(ALA)处理甘草种子的发芽势(Gv)、发芽率(Gr)、发芽指数(Gi)和活力指数(Vi)的变化,以及ALA处理幼苗叶片的质膜透性、丙二醛(MDA)含量、可溶性糖含量、游离脯氨酸含量和超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性。结果显示:(1)在20%PEG-6000胁迫下,甘草种子萌发受到显著抑制,而各项萌发指标经过不同浓度的ALA进行恢复处理后均有明显提高,且均以10 mg.L-1ALA处理的各项指标值最大,其种子发芽势(75%)、发芽率(91%)比干旱胁迫对照显著提高了35%和30%,发芽指数(36.2)和活力指数(709.7)分别提高至干旱胁迫的2.6和3.5倍。(2)各ALA处理较对照均显著提高了干旱胁迫下甘草幼苗总生物量、可溶性糖的含量及脯氨酸含量,却显著降低了甘草叶片的MDA含量和质膜透性,同时显著提高了干旱胁迫下甘草叶片中的SOD、POD和CAT的活性,且以10 mg.L-1ALA处理后的酶活性最强。研究表明,适宜浓度(10 mg.L-1)的ALA能显著提高干旱胁迫下甘草种子的萌发能力,通过调节渗透调节物质含量和保护酶活性来有效减缓干旱胁迫对甘草幼苗的伤害,提高甘草种子及幼苗的抗旱能力。     

温度和水分及盐分胁迫对银沙槐种子萌发的影响

利用控制实验研究了温度、湿度、干旱和盐分胁迫等生态因子对银沙槐种子萌发的影响,以探索银沙槐种子对各种生态因子的适应性。结果显示:(1)银沙槐种子在20℃、25℃恒温和15℃/25℃、20℃/30℃、10℃/20℃变温环境中的发芽率较高且无显著差异,其在20℃恒温、15℃/25℃、20℃/30℃变温条件下的发芽指数较高,但差异不显著。(2)土壤含水量在1%～5%之间,各水分处理间种子发芽率差异显著(P<0.05),而在5%～25%间种子发芽率变化不显著。(3)盐胁迫和水分胁迫对银沙槐种子的萌发均有明显的抑制作用,可显著降低种子萌发率(P<0.05);种子发芽指数和活力指数均随渗透势和NaCl浓度增大而显著减小(P<0.05);恢复萌发率随渗透势和NaCl浓度的增加而显著增加(P<0.05)。研究发现,银沙槐种子萌发最适温度为20℃恒温和15℃/25℃变温,最适土壤含水量为10%～25%;种子萌发对盐分和干旱胁迫表现出不同程度的耐受性,萌发过程中主导抑制因素为渗透胁迫,离子毒害作用甚微;银沙槐种子休眠机制和萌发特征表现出它对生境的良好适应性。     

Interaction of maternal environment and allelic differences in seed vigour genes determines seed performance in Brassica oleracea

Seed vigour is a key trait essential for the production of sustainable and profitable crops. The genetic basis of variation in seed vigour has recently been determined in Brassica oleracea, but the relative importance of the interaction with parental environment is unknown. We produced seeds under a range of maternal environments, including global warming scenarios. Lines were compared that had the same genetic background, but different alleles (for high and low vigour) at the quantitative trait loci responsible for determining seed vigour by altering abscisic acid (ABA) content and sensitivity. We found a consistent effect of beneficial alleles across production environments; however, environmental stress during production also had a large impact that enhanced the genetic difference in seed performance, measured as germination speed, resistance to controlled deterioration and induction of secondary dormancy. Environmental interaction with allelic differences in key genes that determine ABA content and sensitivity develops a continuity in performance from rapid germination through to failure to complete germination, and increasing depths of seed dormancy. The genetic–environmental interaction revealed provides a robust mechanism of bet‐hedging to minimize environmental risk during subsequent germination, and this could have facilitated the rapid change in seed behaviour (reduced dormancy and rapid germination) observed during crop domestication.