Physiological and Biochemical Changes in the Seeds of Naturally Aged Wenling Medic (Medicago polymorpha) with Its Recovery of Viability

Abstract

Wenling Medic (Medicago polymorpha) is common in southern China and has long been utilized as a vegetable in eastern China, as well as a significant raw ingredient for livestock and pickled meals. As a legume, there is still a research vacuum, and the first problem Wenling Medic faces in production is the problem of seed germination. The germination percentage of Wenling Medic was low, according to production practice and laboratory tests performed in this work. Furthermore, after more than two years of storage, the germination percentage of Wenling Medic dropped sharply, and it lacked a long enough seed life. An attempt was made to restore the viability of the seeds using the polyethylene glycol (PEG) osmoregulation-mediated priming method, after the physiological and biochemical characteristics of the seeds were assessed using the anthrone method, Bradford assay, 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. The findings showed that it has a relatively short storage age and, with a useable life of only two years under normal aging circumstances, is not deactivated soon after harvesting. In addition, whereas protein content and α-amylase concentration did not significantly correlate (p > 0.05) with storage life, the conductivity of exudate, malondialdehyde content, and carbohydrate content did (p < 0.05). The seed viability was not considerably increased by the saturation initiation mediated by osmoregulation, utilizing PEG. In conclusion, the decrease in Wenling Medic seeds’ germination ability was substantially connected with higher levels of lipid peroxidation and decreased carbohydrate levels, but not with protein concentrations or α-amylase activity. The timing of dehydration may need to be carefully controlled when using PEG osmoregulation to prime Wenling Medic seeds.

Oxidant and Antioxidant Profiling in Viscaria alpina Seed Populations Following the Temporal Dynamics of an Alpine Climate

“…The results evidenced increasing MDA levels from 2014 to 2016 accessions (6 to 4 years of storage, respectively) followed by a decrease in the more recent 2017 and 2018 accessions (3 and 2 years of storage, respectively) (Figure 1B). The observed MDA decrease in recent accessions following storage is compatible with the pattern observed in other species, such as Medicago polymorpha seed accessions collected in six different years [56]. Similar findings made MDA an established indicator of membrane lipid peroxidation in aging seeds, as these levels have been positively correlated with ROS accumulation and germinability reductions also in other herbal species such as Lallemantia spp., Festuca arundinacea, Psathyrostaehys juncea [57,58].…”

Photomorphogenesis and Photosynthetic Traits Changes in Rice Seedlings Responding to Red and Blue Light

“…The root activity of the rice seedlings was tested by TTC reduction method [57], by obtaining 0.5 g of fresh roots of rice seedlings, adding 5 mL of TTC (0.4%) and 5 mL of phosphoric acid buffer (PH = 7.0), keeping them in a dark place at 37 • C for 1 h, then adding 2 mL of sulfuric acid (1 mol L −1 ) to stop the reaction, keeping them for 15 min, pouring out sulfuric acid to preserve the roots, adding 20 mL of methanol, and keeping them at 35 • C for 6 h. The root activity was measured at 485 nm with a spectrophotometer (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan, U-2900) and the reduction amount of tetrazolium was determined by checking the standard curve.…”