Solid matrix priming improves cauliflower and broccoli seed germination and early growth under the suboptimal temperature conditions

Abstract

Seed priming is an effective method for imparting stress tolerance to plants. This study aimed to analyze the effects of solid matrix priming (SMP) on cauliflower and broccoli seed germination and early seedling growth under suboptimal temperature conditions. The SMP method used in this study included the following steps: (1) mixing seeds with vermiculite and water at a ratio of 2:3:2.5 (w/w/v) and incubating for 2 days in the dark at 20°C; (2) drying the SM-primed seed; (3) germinating the SM-primed and the nonprimed seeds at 10, 15, 20, and 25°C; (4) analyzing the antioxidant enzyme activities of SM-primed and nonprimed germinating broccoli and cauliflower seeds in the early germination stage at 10, 15, 20, and 25°C; and (5) testing the emergence of SM-primed and nonprimed control seeds in the early spring glasshouse. The results showed that the SMP improved seed germination vigor and early seedling growth and increased the activities of peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase in the germinating cauliflower and broccoli seeds under the suboptimal temperature conditions in the early germination stage compared with nonprimed seeds. It was observed that the suboptimal temperature conditions (i.e., 10 and 15°C) suppressed SM-primed and nonprimed seed germination and early seedling growth of cauliflower and broccoli. Inside a greenhouse, the SMP improved the emergence of cauliflower and broccoli seeds during the early spring season. SMP is an effective method for improving seed germination and the emergence of cauliflower and broccoli under suboptimal temperature conditions.

Solid Matrix Priming: An Effective Technique Used for Improvement in Seed Emergence, Vigor and Seedling Growth of Vegetable Crops

“…As rapid seed germination with uniform seedling not only shorten plant life cycle but also leads to cost efficient crop production. Priming Seed priming, also known as pre-germination technique, is a physiological process that manages seed hydration for effective germination with early and uniform seedling growth (Garcia et al, 2022;Ling-Yun et al, 2022). It initiates germination process by partially hydrating it to maintain pre-germination metabolic activity but at low water potential to prevent radical protrusion (Choudhary et al, 2008;Olszewski et al, 2012).…”

“…It is a relatively affordable method of seed hydration, and it usually involves preparing the seeds either with natural water or with various chemicals (Sarthi and Rawat, 2020). Priming also shorten the mean emergence time between sowing and the emergence of seedlings by increasing carbohydrate biosynthesis, antioxidants, phytohormones production, induced enzymes and protein activity such as heat shock protein and late embryogenesis abundant protein and initiate respiratory associated pathways (Ling-Yun et al, 2022;Srivastava et al, 2022). It minimizes seed sensitivity towards adverse environmental conditions (Michalska-Klimczak et al, 2018) by reducing cellular damage during water imbibition process, ionic homeostatis, regulating metabolic activities, and helps in repairing any damage to DNA (Tania et al, 2022;Ling-Yun et al, 2022).…”

“…Priming also shorten the mean emergence time between sowing and the emergence of seedlings by increasing carbohydrate biosynthesis, antioxidants, phytohormones production, induced enzymes and protein activity such as heat shock protein and late embryogenesis abundant protein and initiate respiratory associated pathways (Ling-Yun et al, 2022;Srivastava et al, 2022). It minimizes seed sensitivity towards adverse environmental conditions (Michalska-Klimczak et al, 2018) by reducing cellular damage during water imbibition process, ionic homeostatis, regulating metabolic activities, and helps in repairing any damage to DNA (Tania et al, 2022;Ling-Yun et al, 2022). It prompts plants to immediately open their immune responses and has the potential to become an effective and strategic tool for modern plant protection methods (Srivastava et al, 2022).…”

“…At optimum temperature, rapid and uniform seed germination occurs, however with a slightest change in this temperature leads to seeds damage or undergo dormancy conditions (Arun et al, 2022). SMP priming increased seed emergence of broccoli and cauliflower in suboptimal conditions (10-15 o C) by enhancing activities of ROS scavenging enzymes peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase under low temperature stress (Ling-Yun al., 2022). Priming of low vigor sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) seed using zeolite as water carrier enhances germination speed, time, early plant growth and increases leaf development under low temperature and non-optimal humidity (Chomontowski et al, 2020b).…”