Unraveling the contribution of copper seed priming in enhancing chromium tolerance in wheat by improving germination, growth, and grain yield

Exposure to chromium (Cr) on farmlands drastically restricts the growth and productivity of cereal crops, including wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Utilizing micronutrients, the seed-priming strategy is crucial to preventing the adverse consequences of Cr-stress. Nevertheless, additional investigation needs to be conducted to figure out whether Cu-priming remedies are beneficial for wheat experiencing Cr-stress. The objective of this study was to ascertain the contribution of Cu-treated seed priming in the mitigation of detrimental impacts of Cr-stress on wheat germination, growth, and production. Two wheat cultivars, Dilkash-20 and Subhani-21, were subjected to seed priming treatments (0 mg/L, 0.1 mg/L, and 1.0 mg/L) of Cu under Cr-stress levels (200 mg/kg) in two successive experiments, respectively, petri-dish and soil-filled pot experiments. The Cu-priming significantly enhanced the wheat seed germination, plant growth, and grain yield under Cr-stress. Cu priming improved enzyme activities such as glutathione peroxidase (14.60, 16.30%), superoxide dismutase (62.55, 115.21%), peroxidase, catalase (78.39, 80.23%), ascorbate peroxidase(17.72, 20.32%), and key primary and secondary metabolites such as proline (54.19, 81.27%), glycine betaine (40.13, 79.39%), total soluble proteins (47.92, 51.58%), phenolics (40.05, 18.61%), and flavonoids (56.90, 113.46%), respectively, of Dilkash-20 and Subhani-21 under Cr-stress. The outcome of our investigation underscored the efficacy of Cu-priming treatments (0.1 mg/L and 1.0 mg/L) in Cr-stress circumstances to augment wheat germination, growth, and grain yield.

Micronutrient seed priming: new insights in ameliorating heavy metal stress

Plants need to survive with changing environmental conditions, be it different accessibility to water or nutrients, or attack by insects or pathogens. Few of these changes, especially heavy metal stress, can become more stressful and needed strong countermeasures to ensure survival of plants. Priming, a pre-sowing hydration treatment, involves pre-exposure of plants to an eliciting component which enhance the plant's tolerance to later stress events. By considering the role of micronutrients in aiding plants to cope up under adverse conditions, this review addresses various aspects of micronutrient seed priming in attenuating heavy metal stress. Priming using micronutrients is an adaptive strategy that boosts the defensive capacity of the plant by accumulating several active or inactive signaling proteins, which hold considerable importance in signal amplification against the triggered stimulus. Priming induced 'defence memory' persists in both present generation and its progeny. Therefore, it is considered a promising approach by seed technologist for commercial seed lots to enhance the vigour in terms of seed germination potential, productivity and strengthening resistance response against metalloid stress. The present review provides an overview regarding the potency of priming with micronutrient to ameliorate harmful effects of heavy metal stress, possible mechanism how attenuation is accomplished, role of priming in enhancing crop productivity and inducing defence memory against the metalloid stress stimulus.

Seed Biofortification by Engineered Nanomaterials: A Pathway To Alleviate Malnutrition?

Micronutrient deficiencies in global food chains are a significant cause of ill health around the world, particularly in developing countries. Agriculture is the primary source of nutrients required for sound health, and as the population has continued to grow, the agricultural sector has come under pressure to improve crop production, in terms of both quantity and quality, to meet the global demands for food security. The use of engineered nanomaterial (ENM) has emerged as a promising technology to sustainably improve the efficiency of current agricultural practices as well as overall crop productivity. One promising approach that has begun to receive attention is to use ENM as seed treatments to biofortify agricultural crop production and quality. This review highlights the current state of the science for this approach as well as critical knowledge gaps and research needs that must be overcome to optimize the sustainable application of nano-enabled seed fortification approaches.