Influence of Priming with Exogenous Selenium on Seed Vigour of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Abstract

Background: Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element to higher plants, animals and humans, but low Se levels are a global public health concern. Seed priming has become a basic strategy for the production of Se-riched agricultural products, but its application is still not clear in the production of Se-enrich alfalfa, hence this study was conducted for the production of Se-enriched alfalfa by seed priming with different concentrations and time on seed vigour. Methods: Seeds were primed with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0 and 8.0 mmol L-1 of sodium selenite solution for 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 h at 20°C and their germination percentage, germination index, seedling vigour index and mean germination time were analyzed. Result: Seed vigour of alfalfa was improved by priming with low selenium (Se) concentration (0.5 and 1.0 mmol L-1), but was inhibited by high Se concentration ( greater than 2.0 mmol L-1). Hence, it must be necessary to carefully select appropriate concentration and time for the application of Se priming in alfalfa seeds. The optimal manner of Se priming in alfalfa seeds might be at 1.0 mmol L-1 concentration for 9 h.

Effect of PEG-simulated Drought Stress on Seed Germination of Three Medicinal Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza) Species

“…In the control, seeds of all three species began to germinate on day 1 and maximum GP was reach on day 3 for G. uralensis and G. glabra and on day 4 for G. inflata. Under mild PEG stress (5%-15%), all three species also began to germinate (Xia et al, 2021) Vigour index (VI) = (GI) × S (Tong et al, (nd 1 /1) + (nd 2 /2) + (nd 3 /3) +… + (nd i /i)…”

Selenium Seed Priming and Biostimulation Influence the Seed Germination and Seedling Morphology of Jalapeño (Capsicum annuum L.)

“…Its chemical similarity to S facilitates its absorption and it can play the same role in the biochemical system [14]. Seed priming based on selenium in different crops has been widely studied, that is, in rice with Na 2 SeO 3 between 0.8 and 1.0 mg L −1 [15], between 30 and 60 µmol L −1 [16,17]; Na 2 SeO 4 between 0.5 and 6.0 mg L −1 [18], between 15 and 105 µmol L −1 [16,19]; and nSe between 0.5 and 10 mg L −1 [18,20]; maize with Na 2 SeO 3 between 2 and 5 mg L −1 [21]; sorghum with Na 2 SeO 3 at 25 µmol L −1 [22]; alfalfa with Na 2 SeO 3 between 0.5 and 8 µmol L −1 [23,24]; quinoa with Na 2 SeO 4 between 3 and 9 mg L −1 [25] and with nSe at 1 mg L −1 [26]; marigold with Na 2 SeO 4 between 0.5 and 4 mg L −1 [27]; Brassica rapa L. with Na 2 SeO 3 between 75 and 125 µmol L −1 [28]; Setaria italica with nSe at 1 mg L −1 [29]; lentil with Se between 250 and 750 mM [30]; and tomato with Na 2 SeO 3 between 0.5 and 3 mg L −1 [31] and nSe between 25 and 100 mg L −1 [32].…”