Seed treatment with H 2 O 2 modifies net photosynthetic rate and antioxidant system in mung bean ( Vigna radiata L. Wilczek) plants.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in minute concentrations serves as a signaling molecule for processes involved in the growth and development of plants. The present study aimed to explore the role of seed treatment with H2O2on growth biomarkers, photosynthetic traits, activities of carbonic anhydrase, and various antioxidant enzymes in 45-day-old plants of mung bean (Vigna radiataL. Wilczek) cv. SML-668 under non-stress conditions. The seeds were soaked in 0, 0.01, 0.1, or 0.5 mM H2O2for 2, 4, or 8 h, and then inoculated withRhizobium, sown in sandy loam soil, and allowed to grow for 45 days. The plants that developed from the H2O2-treated seeds demonstrated improved growth and photosynthetic attributes, enhanced activity of various antioxidant enzymes (e.g., catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), and higher accumulation of proline than plants from non-treated seeds. The H2O2-triggered upregulation of antioxidant enzymes and proline (osmolyte) could have resulted in the observed improvement of growth and development. Out of the three concentrations of H2O2tested, seed soaking with 0.1 mM for 4 h proved to be the best. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]