Vigna unguiculata seed priming is related to redox status of plumule, radicle and cotyledons

Abstract

Pre-germination treatments represent the physiological methods that improve plant production by modulating the metabolic activities of germination before the emergence of the radicle. It was suggested that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in signalling seed germination. Our work consisted in studying changes in the redox status in the embryonic axis (radicle and plumule) and in cotyledons of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. non-primed, osmoprimed (30% PEG6000), hydroprimed or twice hydroprimed seeds, by estimating antioxidant activities and production of ROS. Some antioxidant enzymatic activities as well as total non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity were measured. The production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide anion (O2–) was also assessed by 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) and nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) respectively. The results obtained showed, on the one hand, that priming allows activation of antioxidant enzymes, especially in the plumule. On the other hand, these results showed that priming caused an accumulation of ROS in embryonic tissues. This may explain the improvement of seed germination performance according to the oxidative window model. Priming induced changes in the redox environment at the seed level. These changes were closely related to the pre-germination treatments. Indeed, a double cycle of hydration-rehydration induced the broadest spectrum of modifications of the redox status, which would explain the improvement of the seed vigour.

Stimulating Role of Calcium and Cyclic GMP in Mediating the Effect of Magnetopriming for Alleviation of Salt Stress in Soybean Seedlings

“…Previous research has shown that treating soybean seeds with SMF can improve the seed germination, which was attributed to an increase in the production of ROS [61]. During seed germination, the generation of free radicals is associated with a shift from a quiescent state to an active metabolic state, promoting faster germination [62,63]. High levels of ROS can act as signalling molecules, promoting rapid axis growth and mobilisation of reserve materials [64].…”

Effects of hormopriming and pretreatment with gibberellic acid on fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) seed germination

“…GPOX activity was determined according to the method of MacAdam et al (1992), slightly modified by Boucelha et al (2019b). The activity is measured by a colorimetric technique based on the increase in absorbance at 470 nm due to the polymerisation of guaiacol to tetraguaiacol (oxidation), which gives an orange colour in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.…”

“…Several authors have shown that the positive effects of priming are associated with various physiological, biochemical, cellular, molecular and genetic changes such as mobilization of reserves, degradation of albumen, stimulation of osmolyte synthesis and activation of the cell cycle and some abiotic stress tolerance genes. The activation of antioxidant enzyme systems has been extensively studied in primed seeds (Varier et al 2010, Boucelha et al 2019a). The signalling roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in seed germination and dormancy have been well documented and it is assumed that ROS accumulation is beneficial for seed germination and seedling growth (see the review by Bailly et al 2008 andBailly, 2023).…”

“…Thus, ROS homeostasis regulates the beginning of germination, which is why activity of ROS-scavenging systems plays an important role. Furthermore, several authors also studied the involvement of ROS in the priming phenomenon (Boucelha et al 2019a, Ren et al 2023.…”

Seed ‘primeomics’: plants memorize their germination under stress

“…However, at high doses, PEG can cause seeds to lose their germination ability. PEG‐primed plants show robust antioxidant capacity and higher accumulation of compatible solutes compared to non‐primed plants (Zhang et al ., 2015; Abid et al ., 2018; Boucelha, Djebbar & Abrous‐Belbachir, 2019). In Brassica napus , PEG priming upregulates the expression of genes like LEA4‐1 , LEA4‐5 and ABI5 (Kubala et al ., 2015) and modifies structural features of seeds, such as the formation of microcracks and the induction of additional void spaces (Lechowska et al ., 2019).…”