•Seed priming can reduce the effects of cellular stresses experienced during both abiotic, and biotic stress events.•Modulation of genetic expression profiles relating to improved growth, quality and ...yield of crops can be observed after seed priming.•Priming can increase the germination rate of seeds through stimulation of DNA repair mechanisms and through triggering pre-germination metabolism.•Seed priming can greatly improve antioxidant enzyme activity and alleviate oxidative stress.•Pre-treatment of seeds using priming techniques has been shown to enhance overall plant physiology.
Food security is one of the most important challenges worldwide and will become even more challenging with increasing impacts of climate change. Developing ways of increasing the production of horticultural crops in a sustainable manner is an essential goal for researchers. Seed priming is a pre-sowing hydration technique which leads to a physiological condition triggering germination and enhancing uniform seedling emergence. Moreover, seed priming is implicated in improving a diverse range of morpho-physiological, biochemical and molecular responses in plants. Abiotic and biotic stress tolerance of seedlings is also associated with seed priming. This work summarizes current literature related to seed priming in the field of horticulture, and specifically the impact of seed priming on inducing resistance to major abiotic and biotic stresses. It identifies major gaps in technology which should be addressed in future studies.
Agricultural land pollution is key a problem globally, which is linked with growth of industries. Petroleum industrial sector is one of the major industrial sectors and the activities of petroleum ...industry lead to the agricultural land pollution. Oily sludge is a type of solid and hazardous waste generated from petroleum industrial activities. Hence, there is an urgent need to find remediation methods of the oily sludge contaminated agricultural land. Thus, the aim of this work was to study bioremediation of oily sludge polluted soil employing a novel strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and evaluation of phytotoxicity on germination of Vigna radiata seed in pots. Five different approaches were adopted for the bioremediation studies, which included Bioaugmentation + Biostimulation, bioaugmentation, biostimulation, natural attenuation and abiotic factors. Simultaneous application of P. aeruginosa NCIM 5514 and nutrients in microcosm showed 92.97 ± 0.92% decrease in oily sludge with good hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial count and decreased nutrient level in 56 days. Pot experiments on seed germination of mung beans (Vigna radiata) seeds was performed by pot experiments. 80.95% germination in five days in treated soil. From the results it was concluded that simultaneous use of oily sludge degraders and nutrient supplement could revive seed germination ability of oily sludge polluted soil effectively. This is first report of comparing five techniques to bioremediate oily sludge polluted soil using Pseudomonas aeruginosa, followed by pot study using V. radiata seeds, showing that P. aeruginosa can be an efficient bioremediation agent and can be effectively used for remediation of oily sludge contaminated soil.
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•Microcosm experiments with five bioremediation approaches using oily sludge polluted agricultural soil have been performed.•Nutrient supplementation is a vital parameter to promote biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons.•Highest degradation of oily sludge was obtained when combined treatment of bioaugmentation and biostimulation was given.•P. aeruginosa proved to be a potential bioremediator and can be used for soil remediation.•The study presented here has potential of agricultural and social benefits.
Several dwarf and semi-dwarf genes have been identified in barley. However, only a limited number have been effectively utilized in breeding programs to cultivate lodging resistant varieties. This is ...due to the common association of dwarf and semi-dwarf traits with negative effects on malt quality. In this study, we employed gene editing to generate three new haplotypes of sdw1/denso candidate gene gibberellin (GA) 20-oxidase2 (GA20ox2). These haplotypes induced a dwarfing phenotype and enhancing yield potential, and promoting seed dormancy, thereby reducing pre-harvest sprouting. Moreover, β-amylase activity in the grains of the mutant lines was significantly increased, which is beneficial for malt quality. The haplotype analysis revealed significant genetic divergence of this gene during barley domestication and selection. A novel allele (sdw1.ZU9), containing a 96-bp fragment in the promoter region of HvGA20ox2, was discovered and primarily observed in East Asian and Russian barley varieties. The 96-bp fragment was associated with lower gene expression, leading to lower plant height but higher germination rate. In conclusion, HvGA20ox2 can be potentially used to develop semi-dwarf barley cultivars with high yield and improved malt quality.
Optimization of iron zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (FeZIF-8) nanoparticles, as heterogeneous catalysts, were synthesized and evaluated by the Fenton-like reaction for to degrade tartrazine (Tar) in ...aqueous environment. To achieve this, ZIF-8 nanoparticles were modified with different iron species (Fe2+ or Fe3O4), and subsequently assessed through the Fenton-like oxidation. The effect of different parameters such as the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the mass of catalyst and the contact time of reaction on the degradation of Tar by Fenton-like oxidation was studied by using the Box-Behnken design (BBD). The BBD model indicated that the optimum catalytic conditions for Fenton-like reaction with an initial pollutant concentration of 30 ppm at pH 3.0 were T = 40 °C and 12 mM of H2O2, 2 g/L of catalyst and 4 h of reaction. The maximum Tar conversion value achieved with the best catalyst, Fe1ZIF-8, was 66.5% with high mineralization (in terms of decrease of total organic carbon – TOC), 44.2%. To assess phytotoxicity, the germination success of corn kernels was used as an indicator in the laboratory. The results show that the catalytic oxidation by Fenton-like reaction using heterogeneous iron ZIF-8 catalysts is a viable alternative for treating contaminated effluents with organic pollutants and highlighted the importance of the validation of the optimized experimental conditions by mathematical models.
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•Synthesis of heterogeneous iron ZIF-8 catalysts.•Fenton-like oxidation of Tartrazine with FeZIF-8 catalysts.•Box-Behnken design: 2 g/L of Fe1ZIF-8, T = 40 °C, t = 4h and H2O2 = 12 mM.•Higher conversion and mineralization.•Phytotoxicity tests by germination of kernels show the success of degradation.
It is challenging to control pathogens in contaminated seeds without damaging seed vigour by using heat treatments. In this study, a treatment process for pasteurising watermelon seeds was developed ...using the emerging technology of radio frequency (RF) energy. To reduce the temperature difference between the layers, the polypropylene frame (covering 40% of the sample surface area) with the inside medium of air was added to the centre of the first layer. The length, width, height, and thickness of the polypropylene frame were 134, 94, 17, and 2 mm, respectively. The optimised process involved that seeds with stacked four layers were heated by RF energy for 6.5 min followed by holding in the hot air oven at 64.5 ± 0.5 °C for 50 min. After that, samples with separated four layers were dried in the hot air oven for 30 min followed by cooling for 6 min in forced ambient air (6.0 ± 0.1 m s−1). This treatment produced in excess of a 4-log reductions of Acidovorax citrulli while differences in germination rate, germination energy, vigour index, germination index, and leachate electrical conductivity were insignificant (P > 0.05) between control and the optimised process treated seeds. Meanwhile, the average moisture content of seeds was reduced to 8.05% wet basis after pasteurising. These findings can further be expanded to develop potential industrial applications of RF pasteurisation for maintaining quality in agriculture products.
•RF heating uniformity was improved by adding the polypropylene frame.•RF treatment process was developed for controlling pathogens in seeds.•Potential RF pasteurisation methods for industrial applications are provided.
Increasing the seed germination potential and seedling growth rates play a pivotal role in increasing overall crop productivity. Seed germination and early vegetative (seedling) growth are critical ...developmental stages in plants. High-power microwave (HPM) technology has facilitated both the emergence of novel applications and improvements to existing in agriculture. The implications of pulsed HPM on agriculture remain unexplored. In this study, we have investigated the effects of pulsed HPM exposure on barley germination and seedling growth, elucidating the plausible underlying mechanisms. Barley seeds underwent direct HPM irradiation, with 60 pulses by 2.04 mJ/pulse, across three distinct irradiation settings: dry, submerged in deionized (DI) water, and submerged in DI water one day before exposure. Seed germination significantly increased in all HPM-treated groups, where the HPM-dry group exhibited a notable increase, with a 2.48-fold rise at day 2 and a 1.9-fold increment at day 3. Similarly, all HPM-treated groups displayed significant enhancements in water uptake, and seedling growth (weight and length), as well as elevated levels of chlorophyll, carotenoids, and total soluble protein content. The obtained results indicate that when comparing three irradiation setting, HPM-dry showed the most promising effects. condition HPM seed treatment increases the level of reactive species within the barley seedlings, thereby modulating plant biochemistry, physiology, and different cellular signaling cascades via induced enzymatic activities. Notably, the markers associated with plant growth are upregulated and growth inhibitory markers are downregulated post-HPM exposure. Under optimal HPM-dry treatment, auxin (IAA) levels increased threefold, while ABA levels decreased by up to 65%. These molecular findings illuminate the intricate regulatory mechanisms governing phenotypic changes in barley seedlings subjected to HPM treatment. The results of this study might play a key role to understand molecular mechanisms after pulsed-HPM irradiation of seeds, contributing significantly to address the global need of sustainable crop yield.
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•Pulsed high power microwaves (HPM) generated with main frequency 3.5 GHz•At each HPM pulse, electromagnetic energy of 2.04 mJ/pulse delivered to seeds•Seed germination significantly increased in all HPM-treated groups•HPM-treated groups displayed enhancements in water uptake and seedlings growth•Growth markers upregulated and growth inhibitory markers downregulated by HPM•Auxin (IAA) levels 3-fold increase, while ABA levels decreased up to 65% by HPM
This research was carried out to quantify the rate of Alyssum homolocarpum germination in response to temperature, and water potential. We compared three nonlinear regression models (Dent-like, ...segmented, and beta) to describe the germination rate-temperature relationships of Alyssum homolocarpum. The seeds were germinated at seven temperatures (5,10,15,20,25,30 and 35 °C) and six water potentials (0,-0.2,-0.4,-0.6,-0.8 and -1 MPa). The results revealed that the segmented function (RMSE = 0.28, R2 = 0.82, and r = 0.90) is suitable for describing the response to temperature, and water potential. Seeds did not germinate at 5 and 35 °C. Under different water potentials, base, optimum and ceiling temperatures ranged in 4.96 to 6.37 °C, 13.98 to 15.00 °C, and 28.7 to30 °C, respectively. The hydro time constant for SSG (θH), the middle value for the base water potential (Ψb(50), the standard deviation in base water in the water potential (σyb) and the thermal time constant for SSG (θT) spanned the values of 2.38–133.48 MPa h, −1.64–0.09 bar and 345.3–1477.3 °C h, respectively. The hydrothermal time parameters were 845.12 bar °C h, −1.114 MPa and, 57.3 °C for θHT (hydrothermal time constant), and Ψb(50) (median base water potential), Tb (base temperature) in temperatures and water potentials, respectively This low-temperature range for germination and the ability to germinate rapidly suggest the high potential of Alyssum homolocarpum to establish in most areas.
•Germination rate of ormosia henryi seed was affected by both soil nutrients and spermosphere bacterial diversity and abundance.•Most of the spermosphere bacteria that contribute most to the ...germination stage of ormosia henryi seed have degradation function.•The spermosphere bacteria functions of respiratory metabolism, nodulation, polysaccharide and fat degradation were enhanced during germination.•The positive correlation between the abundance of spermosphere bacterial genera was the highest at the imbibition stage for sufficient carbon source.
Based on the important role of spermosphere microbes in seed germination, the driving factors of seed germination were explored under the influence of spermosphere bacteria by studying the time series changes of spermosphere bacterial communities in different germination stages of Ormosia henryi seeds. In this study, the soils under the mother trees of O. henryi in three places (Guanling, Qinglong, Shiqian in Guizhou, China) were used as the seed germination substrates to determine the spermosphere bacterial samples in different germination stages of Ormosia henryi seeds, and bioinformatics strategies were used to analyze bacterial diversity and its relationship with soil nutrients and germination rate, bacterial function prediction and microbial network characteristics. The results showed that seed germination rate of O. henryi was affected by both soil nutrients and abundance and species of spermosphere bacteria, most of the spermosphere bacteria that contributed the most to seed germination time had the functions of degradation and bioremediation. The spermosphere bacterial functions of respiratory metabolism, nodulation, degradation and energy were enhanced during seed germination. The spermosphere bacterial community reached a more stable state under the influence of germinating seeds during the stage of imbibition. This study revealed the contribution of spermosphere bacteria function, abundance and species to the germination rate and germination stage of O.henryi, providing a theoretical basis for screening and application of spermosphere functional bacteria.
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The current work was aimed to elucidate the role of engineered nanosilica (SiNPs) particles to mitigate the damaging impacts of Na+-derived salinity on cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Beit Alpha variety ...by conducting in vitro experiments applying various Na+ concentrations i.e. 0, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000 mg L−1. By treating seeds and seedlings, respectively, of cucumber with SiNPs (0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm) and subsequent determination some germination and vegetative parameters as well as chemical analysis of seedlings, we verified that SiNPs succeeded to alleviate the detrimental effects of high Na+ salinity by increasing germination parameters and vegetative growth of cucumber seedlings. Even as little as 100 ppm of N-Si results in considerable improvement of seed germination and seedlings growth of cucumber compared to the control, while 200 ppm was optimal among the doses tested. At 5000 mg Na+ L−1, applying SiNPs with 200 ppm increased final germination percentage by 101% over control, vigor index by 101%, germination rate index by 116%, germination index by 110%, fresh mass by 13%, K+/Na+ ratio by 77%, shoot dry mass by 384%, root dry mass by 304% and plant height by 70%. The results mentioned in this paper obviously outline the large practical relevance of SiNPs and imply that applying of SiNPs for cucumber seeds and seedlings under high Na+-derived salinity enhances germination and growth as a result for decreasing Na+ uptake and sequentially improves high K+/Na+ ratio.
•High Na+ levels significantly reduce germination and development of cucumber.•Nanosilica improves germination and growth of Na+-stressed cucumber.•Nanosilica reduces Na+ uptake by cucumber plants.•Nanosilica maintains good K+/Na+ ratio in tissues of cucumber.
