The contribution of mucilage to seed longevity and how the maternal environment influences it production
Résumé
Seed lots must reach set standards for commercialisation and priming is widely used by producers to enhance seed quality. This technique consists of hydration to initiate early germination processes, followed by drying prior to storage. While primed seeds exhibit faster and more uniform emergence and young seedlings are often more vigorous and resistant to abiotic stress, it is frequently reported to reduce seed longevity. Mucilage is a hydrogel of polysaccharides formed around imbibed seeds of certain species that may influence hydration and drying. To determine its effect on germination and longevity after priming we have exploited Arabidopsis thaliana mutants exhibiting different mucilage traits. Our results indicate improved longevity for seeds without mucilage following priming, which was accompanied by lower reductions in salicylic acid contents.
Longevity in the seed bank contributes to the biodiversity of wild species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, present in a given habitat. Using natural Arabidopsis thaliana variants exhibiting divergent mucilage traits under standard growth conditions, we have examined how the temperature modifications that are predicted due to climate change over the coming years affect mucilage production and properties.