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Seed vigor is an important aspect of seed quality. It is critical to predict seed vigor and plant seedling emergence under diverse environmental conditions using the laboratory vigor test. Accordingly, laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the standard germination (SG), early individual counts of radicle emergence (RE), mean germination time (MGT), and vigor index (VI) for 16 commercially available seed lots of Siberian wildrye (Elymus sibiricus), an economically and ecological important grass species. The field emergence (FE) for seed lots was explored using a three-year field trial from 2021 to 2023. Meanwhile, pot experiments were carried out to determine the seedling emergence performance under different environmental conditions, including control, drought, and salinity stress. The correlation and regression analysis were done to investigate the links between laboratory vigor test with emergence performance under both field and pot conditions. The results showed that the SG of 16 seed lots were high, similar, and did not differ significantly between seed lots. However, the seedling emergence performance (emergence percentage, seedling dry weight, and simplified vigor index) differed significantly between seed lots under both field and pot conditions. The SG was not significantly correlated with seedling emergence performance under either the field or pot conditions. The counts of RE at selected timing, MGT, and VI showed a significant relationship with seed vigor as reflected by seedling emergence performance under diverse environmental conditions, and we found that RE at 108 h was highly predictive of seed vigor and seedling emergence. The RE at 108 h and VI were positively related to seed vigor, while MGT was negatively related. The seed lots with low vigor had lower RE at 108 h and VI but longer MGT. Overall, both RE at 108 h, MGT, and VI can be used to estimate seed vigor and predict seedling emergence under different environmental conditions, and we highly recommend RE at 108 h as a quick, precise, and convenient vigor test and early warning sign for seed storage of E. sibiricus. These results will enable seed researchers, plant breeders, farmers, and government program directors to target higher seed vigor more effectively for E. sibiricus and similar grass species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The glutelins are a family of abundant plant proteins comprised of four glutelin subfamilies (GluA, GluB, GluC, and GluD) encoded by 15 genes. In this study, expression of subsets of rice glutelins were suppressed using CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to generate three transgenic rice variant lines, GluA1, GluB2, and GluC1. Suppression of the targeted glutelin genes was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, Western blot, and q-RT-PCR. Transgenic rice variants GluA1, GluB2, and GluC1 showed reduced amylose and starch content, increased prolamine content, reduced grain weight, and irregularly shaped protein aggregates/protein bodies in mature seeds. Targeted transcriptional profiling of immature seeds was performed with a focus on genes associated with grain quality, starch content, and grain weight, and the results were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test (requiring correlation coefficient absolute value ≥ 0.7 for significance). Significantly up- or down-regulated genes were associated with gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway functional annotations related to RNA processing (spliceosomal RNAs, group II catalytic introns, small nucleolar RNAs, microRNAs), as well as protein translation (transfer RNA, ribosomal RNA and other ribosome and translation factors). These results suggest that rice glutelin genes may interact during seed development with genes that regulate synthesis of starch and seed storage proteins and modulate their expression via post-transcriptional and translational mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is witnessing massive land degradation caused by climate change and various anthropogenic activities. There has been a significant increase in habitat restoration efforts, with demand for seeds to restore these degraded ecosystems in some cases outstripping supply. Traditionally, seeds for restoration activities have mainly been sourced through collections from the wild, but with the growing seed demand, this is increasingly becoming unsustainable. In order to ensure responsible restoration practice, restoration practitioners need to explore other options of economical, ethical and sustainable sourcing of seeds. Ex situ seed banks can leverage their technical and infrastructural capacity to play a greater and more direct role in supporting biodiversity and ecosystem conservation and restoration, particularly through the supply of quality ecologically and genetically suitable seed. In this paper, we review whether ex situ seed banks possess the capacity and competence for supporting habitat restoration and the challenges they are likely to face in these efforts. The review focuses on seed collecting, field-based seed bulking, seed handling and storage, seed quality control as well as experience and capacity in facilitating germplasm exchange. The availability of high-quality germplasm collections of documented provenance and with broad genetic diversity is arguably the greatest resource and asset that seed banks have in supporting habitat restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed vigor and seed germination are very important traits, determined by several factors including genetic and physical purity, mechanical damage, and physiological condition, characterized by maintaining a high seed vigor and stable content after storage. The search for molecular markers related to improvement in seed vigor under adverse condition is an important issue in maize breeding currently. Higher sowing quality of seeds is necessary for the development of the agriculture production and better ability to resist all kinds of adversity in the seeds' storage. Condition is a very important factor affecting the yield of plants, thanks to the construction of their vitality. Identification of molecular markers associated with seed germination and seed vigor may prove to be very important in the selection of high-yielding maize varieties. The aim of this study was to identify and select new markers for maize (SNP and SilicoDArT) linked to genes influencing the seed germination and seed vigor in inbred lines of maize (Zea mays L.). The plant material used for the research was 152 inbred maize lines. The seed germination and seed vigor were analyzed. For identification of SNP and SilicoDArT markers related to the seed germination and seed vigor, the SilicoDarT technique developed by Diversity Arrays Technology was used. The analysis of variance indicated a statistically significant differentiation between genotypes for both observed traits. Positive (r = 0.41) correlation (p < 0.001) between seed germination and seed vigor was observed. As a result of next-generation sequencing, the molecular markers SilicoDArT (53,031) and SNP (28,571) were obtained. Out of 81,602 identified SilicoDArT and SNP markers, 15,409 (1559 SilicoDArT and 13,850 SNP) were selected as a result of association mapping, which showed them to be significantly related to the analyzed traits. The 890 molecular markers were associated with seed vigor, and 1323 with seed germination. Fifty-six markers (47 SilicoDArT and nine SNP) were significant for both traits. Of these 56 markers, the 20 most significant were selected (five of these markers were significant at the level of 0.001 for seed vigor and at the level of 0.05 for seed germination, another five markers were significant at the level of 0.001 for seed germination and at the level of 0.05 for seed vigor, five markers significant at the level of 0.001 only for seed vigor and five significant at the level of 0.001 only for seed germination also selected). These markers were used for physical mapping to determine their location on the genetic map. Finally, it was found that six of these markers (five silicoDArT—2,435,784, 4,772,587, 4,776,334, 2,507,310, 25,981,291, and one SNP—2,386,217) are located inside genes, the action of which may affect both seed germination and seed vigor. These markers can be used to select genotypes with high vigor and good seed germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeds can harbor a wide range of microorganisms, especially fungi, which can cause different sanitary problems. Seed quality and seed longevity may be drastically reduced by fungi that invade seeds before or after harvest. Seed movement can be a pathway for the spread of diseases into new areas. Some seed-associated fungi can also produce mycotoxins that may cause serious negative effects on humans, animals and the seeds themselves. Seed storage is the most efficient and widely used method for conserving plant genetic resources. The seed storage conditions used in gene banks, low temperature and low seed moisture content, increase seed longevity and are usually favorable for the survival of seed-borne mycoflora. Early detection and identification of seed fungi are essential activities to conserve high-quality seeds and to prevent pathogen dissemination. This article provides an overview of the characteristics and detection methods of seed-borne fungi, with a special focus on their potential effects on gene bank seed conservation. The review includes the following aspects: types of seed-borne fungi, paths of infection and transmission, seed health methods, fungi longevity, risk of pathogen dissemination, the effect of fungi on seed longevity and procedures to reduce the harmful effects of fungi in gene banks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetic structure of the "Badda" common bean cultivated at Polizzi Generosa, a village of Sicily (Palermo, Italy), was investigated using biochemical and molecular markers. Seed storage protein analysis by using SDS-PAGE, confirmed the attribution to the Andean gene pool. Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) (or microsatellite) molecular markers provided useful information on genetic variation and relationships between "Badda bianco" and "Badda nero" morphotypes. Based on SSR data, the nine accessions examined were grouped in three sub-clusters. The first sub-cluster included all the accessions belonging to the "Badda bianco". Conversely, "Badda nero" was constituted by two well-distinguished sub-clusters, one of them forming a well-separated branch. This result suggests that two constitutive nuclei contributed to the genetic background of "Badda nero". Moreover, technological and nutritional data evidenced a good seed protein content (mean value 240.7 g kg-1) and differences in seed hydration rate among accessions. Knowledge of genetic structure appear to be fundamental in planning safeguard strategies of an appreciate landrace such as the "Badda" bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low field NMR has been successfully used for the evaluation of seed composition and quality, but largely only in crop species. We show here that 1.5T NMR provides a reliable means for analysing the seed lipid fraction present in a wide range of species, where both the seed size and lipid concentration differed by >10 fold. Little use of high field NMR has been made in seed research to date, even though it potentially offers many opportunities for studying seed development, metabolism and storage. Here we demonstrate how 17.5T and 20T NMR can be applied to image seed structure, and analyse lipid and metabolite distribution. We suggest that further technical developments in NMR/MRI will facilitate significant advances in our understanding of seed biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed quality is accessed by appropriate seed germination, seed moisture contents, insect/pathogen infestations and seed vigor. Seed storage conditions are essential to protect from deterioration. In this study, knowledge and practices of wheat and cotton seeds storage were accessed among commercial seed growers (CSGs) and non-commercial seeds growers (NCSGs) in the Vehari District of Pakistan, while samples of stored wheat and cotton seeds were also collected to assess the quality of stored seeds. Stored seeds in the study area were contaminated by a variety of fungi, with infestation percentages reaching 13% for wheat and 20.7% for cotton in seeds from NCSGs, compared to 9% (wheat) and 9.5% (cotton) in seeds from CSGs. The majority of seed growers (75.0%) did not have any training on seed storage. The growers (60.9%) were unaware that seed should not be stored in closed polythene bags and most (62.2%) were not well aware about seed-borne crop diseases. Most growers did not maintain the temperature and humidity of storage rooms (82.7%) and did not calculate the seed rate before sowing after seed germination tests (87.2%). However, seed dressing with fungicides was implemented by most farmers (69.9%). Controlling the temperature of the seed storage was significantly influenced by growers' age, while controlling the humidity of the seed storage was significantly influenced by growers' farming experience. Seed dressing with fungicides was positively associated with the graduation level of growers, while checking seed maturity was positively associated with the higher education (Master's level) of growers. There was a lack of active information centers in the study areas and a lack of agricultural information provision to farmers. Awareness regarding bad-quality seeds should be initiated to increase growers' knowledge. Training programs for providing adequate knowledge to growers and skills in seed storage should be organized. Legislation regarding the seed business and seed storage protective measures should be enforced to minimize problems by a seed-borne inoculum and deterioration of seed quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was performed for a period of three years to determine the effect of natural seed ageing on different physiological and biochemical changes in three extensively cultivated onion cultivars in Northern India. Seed storage studies showed that germination percent, seed viability and other seed quality parameters decreased significantly with increasing storage time. The onion seed can be stored for a maximum period of one year under ambient conditions to maintain required germination percentage (>70%). Overall, Hisar Onion-4 stored better when compared to Hisar Onion-3 and Hisar-2. As the ageing progressed the seed antioxidants, namely superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), dehydrogenase (DHA) and peroxidase (POD) decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in all cultivars whereas, the electrical conductivity (EC) of seed leachates increased significantly. Under the field conditions, seedling establishment percent (SE) onion seed was positively correlated (R2 = 0.98; p < 0.05) with germination percent (GP). Overall, more than one year period of seed storage was associated with poor germination and seedling establishment potential in onion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]