Genetic Mechanism and Quality Detection of High Vigor Crop Seeds

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Seed Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2023) | Viewed by 14839

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Genetic and Breeding & Seed Science, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: seed biology; seed non-destructive technology; crop developmental biology; plant gene engineering; transgenic biosafety; plant tissue culture and secondary metabolites
Department of Plant genetic and breeding & Seed science, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: seed testing; seed processing; non-destructive technology; machine learning; Hyperspectral imaging technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global community decided in 2015 to improve people’s lives by 2030 by setting 17 global goals for sustainable development. The second goal of this community was to end hunger. Crop seeds are an essential input in agriculture; however, during their developmental stages, seeds can be negatively affected by disqualification, which can adversely affect seed vigor, seedling establishment, and crop production. Accordingly, seed vigor is one of several important qualified seed parameters, which are defined as "the sum total of those properties of the seed which determine the level of activity and performance of the seed or seed lot during germination and seedling emergence. High vigor crop seeds take a pivotal role in growing up sound seedlings, which was itself regulated by genetic mechanism and several environmental cues, such as plant regulators, temperature, light and moisture, etc. We are planning to focus on the recent progress of high vigor crop seeds including not only its genetic mechanism and morphological and physiological characteristics under varied genotypes or environmental stresses, but also emerging new technologies for high vigor detection, such as non-destructive spectrum screening of near-infrared spectral analysis and high spectral analysis, in addition to seed priming and pretreatment technologies for enhancing seed vigor.

Prof. Dr. Dingming Kang
Dr. Qun Sun
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • crop seeds
  • high vigor
  • genetic mechanism
  • morphological and physiological characteristic
  • seed quality detection
  • spectrum technology
  • non-destructive detection
  • seed priming and pretreatment

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7298 KiB  
Article
High-Vigor Maize Seeds Resist Fusarium graminearum Infection through Stronger Ca2+ Signaling
by Baokuan Xu, Xiyan Liu, Xuejiao Song, Qifang Guo, Yongqi Yin, Chunqing Zhang and Yan Li
Agriculture 2022, 12(7), 992; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12070992 - 9 Jul 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2050
Abstract
Seeds with high vigor have strong resistance to various adverse environmental conditions. However, little is known about how seed vigor affects the resistance of seeds to biotic stress. In this study, newly harvested seeds that had high vigor and seeds with low vigor, [...] Read more.
Seeds with high vigor have strong resistance to various adverse environmental conditions. However, little is known about how seed vigor affects the resistance of seeds to biotic stress. In this study, newly harvested seeds that had high vigor and seeds with low vigor, achieved via an artificially accelerated aging treatment, were used in the germination test after inoculation with Fusariumgraminearum for 24 h. The results showed that high-vigor seed-related germination and seedling growth were not significantly affected by F. graminearum infection, while those related to low-vigor seeds were significantly inhibited. Analysis of transgenic maize seeds expressing the luminescent Ca2+ probe encoded by aequorin indicated that the concentration of free Ca2+ in the cytoplasm and nucleus of the embryo cells of high-vigor seeds was significantly higher than that of the low-vigor seeds. Through an experiment with Ca2+ inhibitor treatment and exogenous Ca2+ application, we further confirmed that Ca2+ played an important role in seed germination and seedling growth. Interestingly, in the presence of F. graminearum, the Ca2+ required for seed germination and seedling growth mainly came from the vacuolar calcium pool, while in the absence of F. graminearum, the required Ca2+ mainly came from the apoplastic calcium store. This study helps understand how high-vigor seeds resist disease and provides theoretical support for the wide application of high-vigor seeds in agricultural production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Mechanism and Quality Detection of High Vigor Crop Seeds)
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10 pages, 785 KiB  
Article
Genetic Analysis of Maternal Haploid Inducibility for In Vivo Haploid Induction in Maize
by Jiaojiao Ren, Xiaoyu Zhang, Zongze Li and Penghao Wu
Agriculture 2022, 12(6), 845; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12060845 - 11 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2304
Abstract
Doubled haploid (DH) technology based on in vivo haploid induction has gradually become the key technology in modern maize breeding. The ability of maternal germplasm to be induced into haploids, inducibility, varies among genotypes. To dissect the genetic basis of maternal haploid inducibility [...] Read more.
Doubled haploid (DH) technology based on in vivo haploid induction has gradually become the key technology in modern maize breeding. The ability of maternal germplasm to be induced into haploids, inducibility, varies among genotypes. To dissect the genetic basis of maternal haploid inducibility (MHI), an F2 population derived from inbred lines B73 and Zheng58 was used for single environment QTL analysis and QTL by environment interaction analysis. The mapping population was genotyped by the 48K liquid-phase hybridization probe capture technique and phenotyped in multi-environment trials for MHI. A total of ten QTLs located on chromosome bins 4.05, 4.09, 5.05/5.06, 6.07, 7.00, 7.01, 7.02, 7.03, 9.02, and 10.06 were identified for MHI. The PVE value of each QTL ranged from 4.79% to 10.01%. The QTL qMHI5 is a stable QTL identified in JSH, HN, and across environments with the highest PVE value of 10.01%. Three QTLs, qMHI4-1, qMHI5, and qMHI 9-1, were detected by both methods. Three genes, Zm00001d017366, Zm00001d017420, and Zm00001d017432, involved in seed development were the most likely candidate genes. This study provides valuable information for the genetic basis of MHI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Mechanism and Quality Detection of High Vigor Crop Seeds)
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9 pages, 571 KiB  
Article
High-Vigor Seeds Associated with Seed Hardness and Water Absorption Rate in Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
by Zhenan Li, Tianyu Zhang, Minyi Zhu, Chengyong Li, Bin Li, Xiujuan Lu, Jianhua Wang, Liangquan Jia, Hengnian Qi, Xiaomin Wang and Guangwu Zhao
Agriculture 2022, 12(5), 712; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050712 - 18 May 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2909
Abstract
Seed physical properties are stable and visualized, and believed to be reference indicators for screening high-vigor seeds. However, the detailed relationship between seed vigor and its physical properties is not fully understood in rice. To elucidate the relationship mentioned above, seed physical properties [...] Read more.
Seed physical properties are stable and visualized, and believed to be reference indicators for screening high-vigor seeds. However, the detailed relationship between seed vigor and its physical properties is not fully understood in rice. To elucidate the relationship mentioned above, seed physical properties such as seed size, hardness, and water absorption rate, and seed vigor indicators including germination rate, salt-stressed germination rate, and drought-stressed germination rate were determined among different rice cultivars. Significant differences in seed vigor indicators and seed physical properties were recorded among different rice cultivars. Germination rate, salt-stressed germination rate, drought-stressed germination rate, seed hardness, and water absorption rate ranged from 32.0 ± 1.7% to 99.7 ± 0.3%, 14.4 ± 2.4% to 99.7 ± 0.3%, 3.3 ± 2.6% to 95.7 ± 2.1%, 69.15 ± 0.15 N to 74.56 ± 0.14 N, and 0.09 ± 0.00 g/h to 0.12 ± 0.00 g/h, respectively. Additionally, correlation analysis showed that seed hardness and water absorption rate were significantly positively related to seed vigor (r = 0.33 **−0.41 **, from 2014 to 2016; r = 0.45 **−0.65 **, in 2021). Moreover, principal component analysis determined that the first principal component explained 91.4%, 90.1%, and 89.9% of the variance of seed physical properties, respectively, and loaded on seed hardness and water absorption rate. These results indicate that seed hardness and water absorption rate can be recommended as efficient indicators for screening rice seeds with high vigor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Mechanism and Quality Detection of High Vigor Crop Seeds)
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15 pages, 5487 KiB  
Article
Effects of Seed Priming on Vitality and Preservation of Pepper Seeds
by Keling Tu, Ying Cheng, Tong Pan, Jianhua Wang and Qun Sun
Agriculture 2022, 12(5), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12050603 - 25 Apr 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4378
Abstract
Seed priming is a method for improving seed vigor, which can improve seed germinability, but the disappearance of positive priming effects and decrease of seed longevity during storage may limit its application. To determine the effect of priming on hot pepper seeds and [...] Read more.
Seed priming is a method for improving seed vigor, which can improve seed germinability, but the disappearance of positive priming effects and decrease of seed longevity during storage may limit its application. To determine the effect of priming on hot pepper seeds and the time during which priming effects can be maintained, it is necessary to monitor and study the variability of primed seeds during storage. In this study, several priming treatments with 3% KNO3, 20% PEG, or 3% KNO3 + 20% PEG and up to 8 months of storage of primed seeds were conducted on seeds of pepper strains No.63, No.73, and No.101. Germinability was improved by priming treatment. The germination percentage of primed seeds did not vary compared to non-primed ones, seeds germinated quickly and had strengthened emergence, especially for those primed with 3% KNO3 solution, which germinated significantly faster and the seedlings grew stronger. During the 8-month storage process, the beneficial effects of priming disappear after 6 months, beyond which the performance of primed seeds is worse than non-primed seeds. After 8 months of storage, the viability of primed pepper seeds dropped sharply. In general, preservation at −4 °C can retain the priming effects to the greatest degree and prevent the seed from losing viability for up to 6 months. Resistance to aging differed across varieties, with No.101 pepper seeds more resistant to aging than the other two varieties, regardless of priming treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Mechanism and Quality Detection of High Vigor Crop Seeds)
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10 pages, 10597 KiB  
Article
Sand Priming Promotes Seed Germination, Respiratory Metabolism and Antioxidant Capacity of Pinus massoniana Lamb.
by Kaihui Zhai, Zhuangzhuang Ji, Diantian Jiang, Guangwu Zhao and Tailin Zhong
Agriculture 2022, 12(4), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12040455 - 24 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2255
Abstract
The validity to promote seed vigor of sand priming had been reported; however, its feasibility in pine seeds remained unknown. In this study, Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) seeds of three varieties were used to investigate the effect of sand priming on [...] Read more.
The validity to promote seed vigor of sand priming had been reported; however, its feasibility in pine seeds remained unknown. In this study, Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) seeds of three varieties were used to investigate the effect of sand priming on seed germination, respiratory metabolism and antioxidant capacity. Seeds treated with hydrated sand, about 5% moisture over 2 day, were employed as the priming group with non-primed seeds as the control. The germination test and field test showed that the germination rate, germination potential, vigor index and field emergence rate of sand-primed seeds were significantly enhanced by 8.3~12.3%, 3.9~11.5%, 40.4~72.3% and 5.8~8.9% compared to non-primed seeds. The oxygen-sensing test indicated that sand priming accelerated seed respiration. Besides these, antioxidant enzyme activities and endogenous GA1 and IAA are also enhanced after sand-priming treatment. Furthermore, the variation tendency of gene expression of GID1, POD and SDH was in line with the physiological parameters. Based on the results, the regulatory mechanism of germination promotion of the Masson pine by sand priming was clarified. Sand priming might promote respiratory metabolism, endogenous hormones and antioxidant capacity through influencing the related gene expression, which would have a conjoint promotion on the seed germination of Pinus massoniana. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetic Mechanism and Quality Detection of High Vigor Crop Seeds)
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