Effects of seed coating and priming with exogenous brassinosteroid on tobacco seed germination

ABSTRACT

Brassinosteroid (BR) is a hormone known for its crucial role in seed germination promotion. However, there is a limited understanding of potential application in tobacco seed. In this study, we investigated various active ingredients for seed coating to enhance tobacco seed germination. It revealed that seed coating with 0.0500 ppm BR and priming with 0.01 ppm BR significantly increased seed germination rates, especially in low-temperature conditions. In addition, the combined use BR with priming and seed coating exhibited a substantial improvement in seed germination rates and promoted seedling growth. Through transcriptional analysis, it found that BR treatment regulates the expression of genes associated with DNA synthesis, cell wall organization and glucan metabolic process involved in seed dormancy and seedling growth. Overall, these results provide valuable insights into the utilization of seed coating and priming techniques, particularly with the inclusion of BR, to enhance tobacco seed germination and facilitate seedling emergence.

KEYWORDS:

• Brassinosteroid
• seed germination
• seed coat
• tobacco

Acknowledgements

Y. Z and G.X conceived the project and designed research; G. W, Y. K, G. X and X. L performed research; Y. Z contributed new reagents/analytic tools; Y. K wrote the paper; all authors reviewed and approved the manuscript for publication.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All the data are contained in this article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from Yunnan Company of China National Tobacco Corporation (No. 2021530000242033, 2022530401740001, 2023530000241007).

Notes on contributors

Guoping Wang

Guoping Wang, an agronomist, is currently employed at Yuxi Zhongyan Tobacco Seed Co., Ltd., where he focuses on researching tobacco seed science and technology. His primary research areas involve enhancing seed vitality and developing seed-related products. He holds a master's degree in Crop Genetics and Breeding from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Email: [email protected].

Yan Kang

Yan Kang, currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Hunan University in Changsha, China, focuses his research on two main objectives: (i) the genetics and breeding of plants, specifically Oryza sativa and Nicotiana tabacum, and (ii) understanding the role of receptor kinases in rice exposure to adversity stress. He obtained his B.S. degree from Jianghan University in Wuhan, China in 2019 and completed his M.S. degree in Genetics at the same institution in 2022. Email: [email protected].

Xiaoxu Li

Xiaoxu Li holds a Doctorate degree and Master's in Plant Biology. He completed studies in Plant Genomics and Biotechnology at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He has experience mainly in response to plant genomics and molecular, biochemistry, and physiology responses to abiotic and biotic stress in crops.

Limeng Zhang

Limeng Zhang, a research fellow, obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Nutrition from Kiel University in Germany. Currently, he serves as the General Manager at Yuxi Zhongyan Tobacco Seed Co., Ltd., where his research focuses on the field of plant protection. His primary research areas include biological pest control based on natural enemies and microbial pest control. Email: [email protected].

Guoyun Xu

Guoyun Xu, an associate researcher at the Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC. He specializes in researching tobacco genetics, functionality, and mechanisms. He has successfully led multiple research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Science and Technology Tackling Key Problems of Henan Province. Email: [email protected].

Yunye Zheng

Yunye Zheng, a research fellow, obtained his Ph.D. in Seed Science and Technology from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. He currently works as the Deputy General Manager at Yuxi Zhongyan Tobacco Seed Co., Ltd., specializing in research in the field of seed science and technology. His primary research areas include efficient seed production and processing, as well as improving seed quality. Email: [email protected].