Selenium seed priming enhanced the growth of salt-stressed Brassica rapa L. through improving plant nutrition and the antioxidant system

Abstract

Various abiotic stresses may affect the germination, growth, and yield of direct-seeded vegetable crops. Seed priming with effective antioxidant mediators may alleviate these environmental stresses by maintaining uniformity in seed germination and improving the subsequent health of developing seedlings. Salt-induced stress has become a limiting factor for the successful cultivation of Brassica rapa L., especially in Southeast Asian countries. The present study was performed to elucidate the efficacy of seed priming using selenium (Se) in mitigating salt-induced oxidative stress in turnip crops by reducing the uptake of Na+. In this study, we administered three different levels of Se (Se-1, 75 μmol L−1; Se-2, 100 μmol L−1; and Se-3, 125 μmol L−1) alone or in combination with NaCl (200 mM). Conspicuously, salinity and Se-2 modulated the expression levels of the antioxidant genes, including catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX). The upregulated expression of stress-responsive genes alleviated salt stress by scavenging the higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) level. The stress ameliorative potential of Se (Se-2 = 100 μmol L−1) enhanced the final seed germination percentage, photosynthetic content, and seedling biomass production up to 48%, 56%, and 51%, respectively, under stress. The advantageous effects of Se were attributed to the alleviation of salinity stress through the reduction of the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, and H2O2. Generally, treatment with Se-2 (100 μmo L−1) was more effective in enhancing the growth attributes of B. rapa compared to Se-1 (75 μmo L−1) and Se-3 (125 μmo L−1) under salt-stressed and non-stressed conditions. The findings of the current study advocate the application of the Se seed priming technique as an economical and eco-friendly approach for salt stress mitigation in crops grown under saline conditions.

Exogenous Selenium Endows Salt-Tolerant and Salt-Sensitive Soybeans with Salt Tolerance through Plant-Microbial Coactions

“…The proline synthesized through the glutamate pathway helps maintain the redox balance of plants under salt stress [42]. The introduction of exogenous Se alleviated the osmotic stress caused by high salt in the roots of plants and reduced the proline content in plants (Figure 5A), which is consistent with the study result of Hussain and Yao et al [43,44].…”

Metabolomics reveals the response of hydroprimed maize to mitigate the impact of soil salinization

“…Soil salinization is a major environmental stressor hindering global crop production, risking food security and weakening global efforts towards the Sustainable Development Goals ( Wang et al., 2022 ). Because saline soil affects seed germination and seedling establishment ( Farooq et al., 2015 ), priming crop seeds before germination has emerged as a promising approach to reduce seedling salt stress and enhance crop yields on salinized land ( Hussain et al., 2023 ).…”

Comparative Analysis of Antioxidant Activity, ROS, and Relative Water Content Between Red and Green Cabbage

“…Higher MDA and H 2 O 2 levels in the floral buds of a non-heading Chinese cabbage line were observed, indicating a positive correlation between these two compounds (Yuan et al 2007). Prior studies found a positive correlation between POD and (MDA) accumulation in Brassica, with an increase in MDA under salinity stress (Hussain et al 2024). This suggests that peroxidase activity may be linked to MDA production in response to stress.…”