Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct Sowing

In the case of direct sowing of rice in Japan, cold stress is a critical constraint affecting seed germination and early seedling development, ultimately reducing crop productivity. We evaluated the effects of priming, with or without iron coating on the germination and vigor of rice seeds harvested...

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Main Authors: Nasratullah Habibi, Parneel, Naoki Terada, Babil Pachakkil, Atsushi Sanada, Atsushi Kamata, Kaihei Koshio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Plants
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/11/1683
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author Nasratullah Habibi
Parneel
Naoki Terada
Babil Pachakkil
Atsushi Sanada
Atsushi Kamata
Kaihei Koshio
author_facet Nasratullah Habibi
Parneel
Naoki Terada
Babil Pachakkil
Atsushi Sanada
Atsushi Kamata
Kaihei Koshio
author_sort Nasratullah Habibi
collection DOAJ
description In the case of direct sowing of rice in Japan, cold stress is a critical constraint affecting seed germination and early seedling development, ultimately reducing crop productivity. We evaluated the effects of priming, with or without iron coating on the germination and vigor of rice seeds harvested in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The assessments were conducted at seven temperature conditions: 13 °C, 15 °C, 17 °C, 19 °C, 21 °C, 23 °C, and 25 °C. Seeds were primed with or without PEG6000; coated with or without a mixture of calcined gypsum and iron powder; and tested for germination percentage, germination speed, and seedling vigor index. Under optimal conditions, iron-coated seeds harvested in 2022 showed a significant increase in germination from 58% (non-coated without priming) to 76% (coated with priming), and the seedling vigor index improved from 615 to 890. Under cold stress (15 °C), the coated seeds of the same year achieved 68% germination with priming compared to 46% in non-coated seeds without priming, with a vigor index increase from 480 to 750. Similar improvements were observed in seeds from 2023 and 2024, although the effect was more prominent in older than younger seeds. These results indicate that iron seed coating in combination with PEG priming mitigates the negative impacts of seed aging and enhances tolerance to cold stress during germination. The technique offers a promising, low-cost approach to improving rice establishment in environments facing suboptimal seed storage and early-season cold temperatures, in particular, aiming for direct sowing methods.
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spelling doaj-art-b0f4c304acce434cbb8339eb8b6385f72025-08-20T03:46:45ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-05-011411168310.3390/plants14111683Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct SowingNasratullah Habibi0Parneel1Naoki Terada2Babil Pachakkil3Atsushi Sanada4Atsushi Kamata5Kaihei Koshio6Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, JapanGraduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, JapanGraduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, JapanGraduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, JapanGraduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, JapanFaculty of Agriculture, Kurokawa Field Science Center, Meiji University, 2060-1 Kurokawa, Aso-ku, Kawasaki-shi 215-0035, Kanagawa, JapanGraduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku 156-8502, Tokyo, JapanIn the case of direct sowing of rice in Japan, cold stress is a critical constraint affecting seed germination and early seedling development, ultimately reducing crop productivity. We evaluated the effects of priming, with or without iron coating on the germination and vigor of rice seeds harvested in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The assessments were conducted at seven temperature conditions: 13 °C, 15 °C, 17 °C, 19 °C, 21 °C, 23 °C, and 25 °C. Seeds were primed with or without PEG6000; coated with or without a mixture of calcined gypsum and iron powder; and tested for germination percentage, germination speed, and seedling vigor index. Under optimal conditions, iron-coated seeds harvested in 2022 showed a significant increase in germination from 58% (non-coated without priming) to 76% (coated with priming), and the seedling vigor index improved from 615 to 890. Under cold stress (15 °C), the coated seeds of the same year achieved 68% germination with priming compared to 46% in non-coated seeds without priming, with a vigor index increase from 480 to 750. Similar improvements were observed in seeds from 2023 and 2024, although the effect was more prominent in older than younger seeds. These results indicate that iron seed coating in combination with PEG priming mitigates the negative impacts of seed aging and enhances tolerance to cold stress during germination. The technique offers a promising, low-cost approach to improving rice establishment in environments facing suboptimal seed storage and early-season cold temperatures, in particular, aiming for direct sowing methods.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/11/1683cold stressdirect sowingiron coatingrice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.)seed primingseed aging
spellingShingle Nasratullah Habibi
Parneel
Naoki Terada
Babil Pachakkil
Atsushi Sanada
Atsushi Kamata
Kaihei Koshio
Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct Sowing
Plants
cold stress
direct sowing
iron coating
rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.)
seed priming
seed aging
title Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct Sowing
title_full Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct Sowing
title_fullStr Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct Sowing
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct Sowing
title_short Effect of Priming Treatment on Improving Germination and Seedling Performance of Aged and Iron-Coated Rice Seeds Aiming for Direct Sowing
title_sort effect of priming treatment on improving germination and seedling performance of aged and iron coated rice seeds aiming for direct sowing
topic cold stress
direct sowing
iron coating
rice (<i>Oryza sativa</i> L.)
seed priming
seed aging
url https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/11/1683
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