Priming effect on the physiological potential of maize seeds under abiotic stress1

Abstract

Abiotic stress directly influences seed performance, so poor-vigor seeds under adverse conditions tend to show lower germination speed and rate. By controlling the hydration level of seeds (i.e., priming) with the addition of chemical agents, it is possible to elicit the maximum physiological potential of seeds, even under stress conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the priming effect of different chemical agents on the physiological potential of maize seeds under abiotic stress (polyethylene glycol induced water stress, hypoxia, low temperature and salt stress after controlled deterioration). The experimental design was completely randomized, in a 5 x 2 factorial scheme, consisting of different chemical agents used to hydrate the seeds [control without priming; control primed with water; calcium nitrate (0.2 %); amino acid L-phenylalanine (0.05 %); amino acid L-phenylalanine (0.5 %) + calcium nitrate (0.2 %)] and 2 seed lots, with four replicates. Priming with calcium nitrate lead to a greater germination and higher emergence rate of the seedlings under suboptimal temperature conditions, and seeds that underwent controlled deterioration showed greater germination levels with the use of calcium nitrate + phenylalanine in the priming process, regardless of the lot used. In general, seed priming allowed a greater expression of seed vigor, even though an interaction with lots was observed in some variables.

Enhancement of Brassica napus Tolerance to High Saline Conditions by Seed Priming

“…NaCl primed seedlings grew significantly better than not primed at the same salinity, confirming the data of the literature [22,23], but this increase was genotype dependent. Calcium nitrate had a negative effect on plant growth, suggesting an increase in stress, contrarily to the data of Gouveia et al [24]. Higher growth rates were observed in PA-treated seedlings exposed to stress, confirming literature reports on other species [11,25].…”

Calcium Nitrate Priming Increases the Germination Rate of Eggplant Seeds

“…The efficiency of calcium nitrate in seed priming was also reported by Gouveia et al (2017) when evaluating the physiological potential of maize seeds primed with different chemical agents and submitted to abiotic stress, in which the calcium nitrate priming resulted in greater germination and emergence of seedlings in sub-optimal temperature conditions when compared to the priming with water and amino acid phenylalanine.…”

“…The beneficial effect of this amino acid application on seed germination is due to the biochemical and structural mechanisms of resistance in plants, favoring adaptation to adverse environmental conditions (Stangarlin et al, 2011). However, in the study performed by Gouveia et al (2017), the priming of corn seeds with calcium nitrate and phenylalanine promoted greater germination rate of low vigor seeds.…”

Effect of Calcium Nitrate and Potassium Nitrate Priming on Seed Germination and Seedling Vigour of Papaya (Carica papaya L.)

“…Shoot length, fresh weight of the leaves, dry weight of the leaves, leaf area and specific leaf weight was higher in Arka Prabhat variety treated with 10000 ppm calcium nitrate. Gouveia et al (2017) reported that the priming of corn seeds with calcium nitrate and phenylalanine promoted greater germination rate of low vigour seeds.The priming of cucumber seeds with potassium nitrate showed little effect in improving the germination and growth rate of seedlings under salt stress conditions (Oliveira and Steiner, 2017). Reis et al (2012) also reported that KNO 3 priming resulted in higher germination rate and lower mean germination time in eggplant cv.…”