Ultrasound-enhanced seed hydration: impacts on seedling vigor, gene expression and absorption kinetics in maize, bean and pepper seeds.

IF 3.3 2区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture Pub Date : 2025-06-12 DOI:10.1002/jsfa.14426

António Nogueira, Hélder Puga, Hernâni Gerós, António Teixeira

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Various methods have been explored to improve seed hydration, reduce hydration time and improve germination rates, such as seed priming methods and non-invasive technologies like ultrasound. Several reports have highlighted ultrasound technology's positive effects on germination and seedling development by enhancing water absorption. However, a comprehensive study investigating ultrasound's impact on seed water uptake dynamics, gene expression linked to seed hydration, and its association with germination rates has not yet been conducted.

Results: The present study tested the contribution of ultrasound technology in enhancing seed hydration of three crop species with high economic value: pepper, maize and bean, its impact on germination and in the expression of genes involved in the germination process. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy and numerical simulation were utilized to evaluate the structural changes in seed coat in response to ultrasound. The study employed a variety of models to analyse hydration kinetics and found that ultrasound treatment consistently improved water uptake in all three studied species. Specifically, seeds exposed to ultrasound showed faster and higher water absorption rates, enhanced seedling growth, and significant modulation of gene expression. The treatment led to overexpression of aquaporin-coding genes and repression of genes involved in the abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis.

Conclusion: Overall, ultrasound treatment proved to be an effective priming strategy, enhancing seed hydration kinetics, modulating the expression of genes involved in water transport and ABA biosynthesis, and promoting germination and seedling growth, particularly in bean seeds. These findings highlight the potential of ultrasound technology as a sustainable tool to improve seed performance and bring valuable knowledge to the field of seed physiology and agricultural technology. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

查看原文本刊更多论文

超声波增强种子水化：对玉米、豆类和辣椒种子幼苗活力、基因表达和吸收动力学的影响。

背景：为了提高种子水化、缩短水化时间和提高发芽率，人们探索了多种方法，如种子启动方法和超声等非侵入性技术。一些报道强调了超声波技术通过提高水分吸收对发芽和幼苗发育的积极作用。然而，关于超声波对种子水分吸收动力学的影响、与种子水化相关的基因表达及其与发芽率的关系的全面研究尚未进行。结果：本研究测试了超声波技术对辣椒、玉米和豆类三种高经济价值作物种子水化的促进作用，以及超声波技术对种子萌发的影响和对种子萌发过程相关基因表达的影响。利用扫描电镜和数值模拟研究了超声对种皮结构的影响。该研究采用了多种模型来分析水化动力学，发现超声波处理持续改善了所有三种研究物种的吸水率。结果表明，超声处理的种子吸水速率更快、吸水率更高、幼苗生长加快、基因表达显著调节。处理导致水通道蛋白编码基因的过度表达和参与脱落酸（ABA）生物合成的基因的抑制。结论：总体而言，超声处理是一种有效的启动策略，可以增强种子水化动力学，调节水分运输和ABA生物合成相关基因的表达，促进种子萌发和幼苗生长，特别是在豆类种子中。这些发现突出了超声技术作为一种可持续的工具来提高种子性能的潜力，并为种子生理学和农业技术领域带来了宝贵的知识。©2025化学工业协会。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 工程技术-农业综合

CiteScore

8.10

自引率

4.90%

发文量

634

审稿时长

3.1 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture publishes peer-reviewed original research, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives and spotlights in these areas, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary studies at the agriculture/ food interface. Published for SCI by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. SCI (Society of Chemical Industry) is a unique international forum where science meets business on independent, impartial ground. Anyone can join and current Members include consumers, business people, environmentalists, industrialists, farmers, and researchers. The Society offers a chance to share information between sectors as diverse as food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, materials, chemicals, environmental science and safety. As well as organising educational events, SCI awards a number of prestigious honours and scholarships each year, publishes peer-reviewed journals, and provides Members with news from their sectors in the respected magazine, Chemistry & Industry . Originally established in London in 1881 and in New York in 1894, SCI is a registered charity with Members in over 70 countries.