The quality of seeds in gene banks gradually deteriorates during long-term storage, which is probably, at least in part, a result of the progressive development of oxidative stress. Here, we report a greenhouse study that was carried out to test whether a novel approach of seed invigoration using priming with cathodic water (cathodic portion of an electrolysed calcium magnesium solution) could improve seedling emergence and growth in two deteriorated crop seeds. Fresh seeds of Pisum sativum and Cucurbita pepo were subjected to controlled deterioration to 50% viability at 14% seed moisture content (fresh weight basis), 40 °C and 100% relative humidity. The deteriorated seeds were thereafter primed with cathodic water, calcium magnesium solution and deionized water. In addition, to study the mechanism of the impacts of invigoration, the effects of such priming on the lipid peroxidation products malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and on the reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase were also determined in the fresh and deteriorated seeds. All priming treatments improved seed emergence parameters, subsequent seedling photosynthesis and growth relative to the unprimed seeds. In general, cathodic water was most effective at invigorating deteriorated seeds. Analysis of the lipid peroxidation products and antioxidant enzyme activities in invigorated seeds provided support for the hypothesis that the effectiveness of cathodic water in invigoration of debilitated orthodox seeds in general and of pea and pumpkin seeds in particular derive from its ability to act as an antioxidant.

中文翻译：

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阴极水强化对受控腐烂豌豆和南瓜种子的出苗和随后生长的影响。


基因库中种子的质量在长期储存过程中逐渐恶化，这可能至少部分是氧化应激逐渐发展的结果。在这里，我们报告了一项温室研究，该研究旨在测试一种使用阴极水（电解钙镁溶液的阴极部分）引发的种子活力新方法是否可以改善两种劣化作物种子的出苗和生长。将Pisum sativum和Cucurbita pepo的新鲜种子在 14% 种子水分含量（以鲜重计）、40 °C 和 100% 相对湿度下进行受控劣化至 50% 活力。此后用阴极水、钙镁溶液和去离子水对变质的种子进行底涂。此外，为了研究活力影响的机制，这种启动对脂质过氧化产物丙二醛（MDA）和4-羟基壬烯醛（4-HNE）以及活性氧（ROS）清除酶超氧化物歧化酶和还测定了新鲜和变质种子中的过氧化氢酶。相对于未引发的种子，所有引发处理都改善了种子出苗参数、随后的幼苗光合作用和生长。一般来说，阴极水对于恢复腐烂种子的活力最为有效。对活力种子中的脂质过氧化产物和抗氧化酶活性的分析为以下假说提供了支持：阴极水在活力衰弱的传统种子、特别是豌豆和南瓜种子方面的有效性源自其作为抗氧化剂的能力。