Karrikinolide stimulated seed germination of artificially aged marrow, cabbage and pepper seeds through repair of cell structure and enzyme activity

The aging process induces the deterioration of seed vigor and viability. Priming methods have been shown to regenerate and rejuvenate aged crop seeds. Several studies have established that plant-derived smoke from burning plant material enhances germination and post-germination. Karrikinolide (KAR1), which has been identified as a molecule derived from smoke, can improve the germination of seeds of a range of plant spe-cies. However, the effect of KAR1 on aged seeds is not well known. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the impact of KAR1 and hydropriming on germination and repair mechanism in unaged and artifi-cially aged pepper, marrow, and cabbage seeds. Aged seeds were artificially produced at 40 1 degrees C and 100% relative humidity for 48 h in cabbage and 72 h in marrow and pepper. KAR1 (10-7 M) was applied by dipping seeds in solution at a weight ratio of 1:5 seed: solution for 16 h at 20 degrees C. Hydropriming was applied under the same conditions using distilled water. Following the treatments, germination, seedling emergence, elec-trical conductivity, potassium leaching, and enzyme analysis were determined. Results showed that KAR1--treated seeds had the lowest electrical conductivity and potassium leakage in unaged and artificially aged seeds in all three species. The influence of KAR1 was more prominent on catalase activity in both artificially aged and unaged seeds. Additionally, KAR1 treatment improved germination and fresh and dry weights of seedlings in all three species. The results of the present study show that the application of KAR1 can help improve the performance of marrow, cabbage and pepper seeds in artificially aged (low-quality) seed germination.(c) 2022 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The aging process reduces seed vigor and viability. This study investigated the effects of karrikinolide (KAR1) and hydropriming on the germination and repair mechanism of unaged and artificially aged pepper, marrow, and cabbage seeds. The results showed that KAR1 treatment improved germination, reduced electrical conductivity and potassium leakage, and increased the fresh and dry weights of seedlings. This suggests that KAR1 application can enhance the performance of aged seeds in germination.