Germination rate of soybean seeds after long-term low-temperature storage and subsequent storage under room conditions

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Background . Soybean Glycine max (L.) Merr. seeds rapidly lose their germination ability when stored under uncontrolled room temperature and humidity conditions. This necessitates the use of special techniques to preserve accessions of the collection. Low temperature storage (LTS) under conditions of low ambient humidity allows for the maintenance of high seed germination rate, however even in these conditions some accessions reduce their ability to germinate, which makes it relevant to assess the results of long-term preservation of soybean accessions in the VIR Genebank. Furthermore, it should be kept in mind that several months of storage under room conditions may elapse between their removal from long-term storage (LTS) and sowing within the next reproduction cycle. Our goal was to evaluate the change in germination over this storage interval. Materials and methods. The study was conducted on 290 soybean accessions from the VIR collection, originating from virtually the entire cultivation area of the crop. The reproduction of accessions was carried out from 2000 to 2016 at VIR experiment stations: the Adler Experiment Station, the Kuban Experiment Station (Krasnodar Region), and the Far East Experimental Station (Primorsky Region). The seeds were stored in sealed foil laminated bags at – 10°C. The accessions were removed from LTS and germination (Gi) assessed in 2022. After six months of storage under room conditions, germination (G 2 ) was evaluated again. The retention of germination ability was expressed as the germination index (GI), namely GI 1 =G 1 /G i for LTS, and GI 2 =G 2 /G 1 for storage under room conditions. Results. At the start of LTS, seed germination (G i ) ranged from 12% to 100% (median 82.0%), whereas after LTS (G1) it ranged from 5% to 97% (median 64.5%), and after storage under room conditions (G2) – from 0% to 100% (47.5%). GI 1 ranged from 0.1 to 1.4 (median 0.78) and GI 2 from 0.0 to 1.68 (0.83). GI 1 and GI 2 do not have a strong relationship with G i (correlation coefficients r=0.14 and 0.16). According to the GI 1 indicator, the best storage results were demonstrated by seeds grown at the Far East Experiment Station (0.83), compared to 0.79 for specimens from the Adler Station and 0.69 for specimens from the Kuban Station. Conclusion . After 6-22 years of LTS at – 10°C and subsequent six months of storage under room conditions, median soybean seed germination values decrease by 17.5% and 17.0%, respectively. The degree of change in germination after both LTS and room storage is weakly related to the initial germination value. The spread of germination index values after LTS (GI 1 ) and subsequent room storage (GI 2 ) indicates that soybean accessions vary in their response to storage. Data obtained on specific accessions can be used in future genetic research. To optimize seeding techniques for specimens after LTS, it is recommended to shorten the seed storage period at room temperature before sowing. The conditions of the Far East Experiment Station are most suitable for the reproduction of soybean seed accessions from the VIR collection for the purpose of their subsequent LTS.

This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit: