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Super absorbent polymer seed coatings promote seed germination and seedling growth of Caragana korshinskii in drought

高吸水性聚合物种子包衣促进干旱条件下柠条种子萌发及幼苗生长

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Abstract

Coating seeds with water absorbent materials can improve their survival, especially for those planted in drought or barren areas. In this study, effects of five kinds of super absorbent polymers (SAPs) on seed germination and seedling growth of Caragana korshinskii under drought conditions were investigated. Our results showed that SAP coatings could significantly improve the percentage and energy of seed germination, as well as reduce the relative electrical conductivity (REC), proline, malondialdehyde (MDA), H2O2 content, and peroxidase (POD) activity during germination. These results implied that seeds could uptake moisture from SAP coatings to alleviate drought-induced oxidative stress and membrane damage, thus exhibiting a better vigor and germination performance. After coating C. korshinskii seeds with SAPs, more seedlings emerged and grew better. Under the combined influence of the water absorption capacity of SAP and other factors, the efficiencies of five SAP coatings are in the sequence D>E>B>A>C. The function of the SAP coating on promoting seedling survival was confirmed in Mu Us Sandy Land in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. The average seedling number of SAP D-coated seeds increased twofold on that of naked seeds. Our results are expected to be helpful in understanding and utilizing SAP seed coatings in improving plant survival under drought conditions.

摘要

目 的

研究干旱条件下五种高吸水性聚合物(SAP)种衣剂对柠条种子萌发及幼苗生长的影响。

创新点

在模拟干旱和沙区条件下, 阐明了保水剂包衣促进柠条种子萌发及幼苗生长的作用及其与吸水能力的关系。

方 法

以不同SAP 为种衣剂, 制成丸化倍数为0.5 的柠条包衣种子。在沙土中模拟干旱条件进行萌发实验, 计算萌发率和萌发势, 并测定萌发种子中丙二醛和过氧化氢含量等生化指标。在幼苗期测算出苗率、根长、苗高和干重。测定SAP 的吸水倍数, 分析其与包衣效果的相关性。最后在毛乌素沙漠中播种, 记录成苗数。

结 论

SAP包衣能显著提高柠条种子的萌发和幼苗生长, 同时降低种子中丙二醛和过氧化氢的含量, 以及膜相对电导率和过氧化氢酶的活性, 缓解干旱诱发的氧化胁迫和膜损伤。五种SAP 包衣的作用效果为D>E>B>A>C, 其中SAP 的吸水性能具有决定作用。10% SAP D 能够将发芽率提高244%, 并将毛乌素沙区中的平均成苗数提高一倍。本研究得到的SAP 种子包衣促进干旱地区植物存活的结论, 有助于相关理论和实践研究。

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China

    Li-qiang Su, Jia-guo Li, Hua Xue & Xiao-feng Wang

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  1. Li-qiang Su
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  2. Jia-guo Li
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  3. Hua Xue
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  4. Xiao-feng Wang
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Correspondence to Hua Xue or Xiao-feng Wang.

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Project supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. BLX2013023), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31271807 and 31501144), and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 6162020)

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Su, Lq., Li, Jg., Xue, H. et al. Super absorbent polymer seed coatings promote seed germination and seedling growth of Caragana korshinskii in drought. J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. B 18, 696–706 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1600350

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