Antioxidant activity and physiological performance of popcorn seed after saline stress and analysis of seedling images

Abstract

Salinity influences all germination stages and may adversely affect seedling establishment in the field. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between the antioxidant activity and the physiological performance of seeds and to verify the efficacy of the imaging analysis of popcorn seedlings after seed exposure to saline stress. A completely randomized design was used that consisted of four replicates in a factorial scheme. This scheme comprised three popcorn hybrids (P618, AP6002, and AP8203) and five saline potential levels (0.0; -0.1; -0.3; -0.6, and -0.9 MPa) that were obtained from KCl solutions of different concentrations. First count germination, germination and seedling vigor classification (strong normal seedlings), and dry mass of seedlings were evaluated to determine the physiological quality of the seed. The images of seedlings were used to evaluate the coleoptile and root lengths, indices of vigor, uniformity, and growth using the Groundeye® software. The activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT) were also determined. Saline stress compromises the physiological quality and antioxidant activity of seeds and the performance of popcorn seedlings. Computerized image analysis using Groundeye® was efficient in evaluating the popcorn seedlings after being subjected to salt stress. Hybrids AP6002 and AP8203 were more tolerant to salt stress than hybrid P618.

Discontinuous Hydration Cycles with Elicitors Improve Germination, Growth, Osmoprotectant, and Salt Stress Tolerance in Zea mays L.

“…The small changes in the final germination count suggest the need for other parameters to determine the degree of tolerance of maize cultivars. In this context, parameters related to growth and biomass accumulation contribute to explaining maize germination results under salt stress conditions, as they are more sensitive to the effects of salinity [13,[34][35][36]. Maize seedlings respond to salt stress by reducing shoot growth [15,24].…”

Identification of Greenish Soybean Seeds through Image Processing, under Different Types of Lighting

“…And the increase in the processing capacity of microcomputers, made it possible to develop computer programs for seed evaluation. The Groundeye® software was able to progress the growth of coleoptiles and roots of popcorn hybrids, in a saline potential of -0.9 Mpa, and the evaluations through images performed with the software were efficient in the evaluation of the vigor of these seeds (Catão et al 2020). The greenish soybean contains chlorophyll, which was not degraded in the maturation process, this characteristic can serve as a parameter for the segregation of these undesirable grains.…”