Abstract
Hydroponic experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations of sodium selenate (Na2SeO4) and sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) on durum wheat seed germination and seedling growth under salt stress. The treatments used were 0 and 50 mM NaCl solutions, each supplemented with Na2SeO4 or Na2SeO3 at 0, 0.1, 1, 2, 4, 8, or 10 μM. Salt alone significantly inhibited seed germination and reduced seedling growth. Addition of low concentrations (0.1–4 μM) of Na2SeO4 or Na2SeO3 mitigated the adverse effects of salt stress on seed germination, biomass accumulation, and other physiological attributes. Among them, 1 μM Na2SeO4 was most effective at restoring seed germination rate, germination energy, and germination index, significantly increasing these parameters by about 12.35, 24.17, and 11.42%, respectively, compared to salt-stress conditions. Adding low concentrations of Na2SeO4 or Na2SeO3 to the salt solution also had positive effects on chlorophyll fluorescence indices, decreased the concentrations of free proline and malondialdehyde, as well as electrolyte leakage, and increased catalase, superoxide dismutase, and peroxidase activities in roots and shoots. However, high concentrations (8–10 μM) of Na2SeO4 or Na2SeO3 disrupted seed germination and seedling growth, with damage caused by Na2SeO3 being more severe than that by Na2SeO4. It is thus clear that exogenous selenium can improve the adaptability of processing wheat to salt stress and maintain higher photosynthetic rate by decreasing the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and alleviating the degree of membrane lipid peroxidation. Na2SeO4 was more effective than Na2SeO3 at all given concentrations.
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Abbreviations
- CAT:
-
Catalase
- EC:
-
Electrical conductivity
- GE:
-
Germination energy
- GI:
-
Germination index
- GR:
-
Germination rate
- Fm:
-
Maximal fluorescence yield
- Fo:
-
Minimal fluorescence yield
- Fv:
-
Variable fluorescence
- Fv/Fo:
-
Potential efficiency of PSII
- Fv/Fm:
-
Maximal PSII photochemical efficiency
- FW:
-
Fresh weight
- MDA:
-
Malondialdehyde
- Na2SeO3 :
-
Sodium selenite
- Na2SeO4 :
-
Sodium selenate
- NPQ:
-
Non-photochemical quenching
- POD:
-
Peroxidase
- PSII:
-
Photosystem
- RILs:
-
Recombinant inbred lines
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- RuBisCO:
-
Ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase
- Se:
-
Selenium
- SeO32− :
-
Selenite
- SeO42− :
-
Selenate
- SOD:
-
Superoxide dismutase
- Y(II):
-
Photochemical quantum yield
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (31560578), the cultivation Project of Sichuan Science and Technology Innovation Seedling Program (2019101), Sichuan International Science and Technology Cooperation and Exchange Research and Development Project (2018HH0116), and China–Israel cooperation program grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology in China (2013DFA32200).
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Yong Liang and Jun Yan contributed to the study conception and design. Reagents, materials, and analysis tools were contributed by Jianping Cheng, Gang Zhao, Tzion Fahima, and Jun Yan. The draft of the manuscript was written by Yong Liang, Daqing Li, and Yuexing Chen. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Liang, Y., Li, D., Chen, Y. et al. Selenium mitigates salt-induced oxidative stress in durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) seedlings by modulating chlorophyll fluorescence, osmolyte accumulation, and antioxidant system. 3 Biotech 10, 368 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-020-02358-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13205-020-02358-3