Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in Korea

This study analyzed the seed germination characteristics and physiological responses of five Korean Veronica species (<i>V. daurica</i>, <i>V. nakaiana</i>, <i>V. kiusiana</i> var. <i>glabrifolia</i>, <i>V. pusanensis</i>, and <i>V. p...

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Main Authors: Jin Woo Kim, Ji Hun Yi, Song E Jeong, Eun Ji Choi, Chung Ho Ko, Ji Young Jung, Sang Heon Kim, Wonwoo Cho
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:International Journal of Plant Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/16/2/60
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author Jin Woo Kim
Ji Hun Yi
Song E Jeong
Eun Ji Choi
Chung Ho Ko
Ji Young Jung
Sang Heon Kim
Wonwoo Cho
author_facet Jin Woo Kim
Ji Hun Yi
Song E Jeong
Eun Ji Choi
Chung Ho Ko
Ji Young Jung
Sang Heon Kim
Wonwoo Cho
author_sort Jin Woo Kim
collection DOAJ
description This study analyzed the seed germination characteristics and physiological responses of five Korean Veronica species (<i>V. daurica</i>, <i>V. nakaiana</i>, <i>V. kiusiana</i> var. <i>glabrifolia</i>, <i>V. pusanensis</i>, and <i>V. pyrethrina</i>) under salinity stress. Preliminary experiments on five Veronica species using various NaCl concentrations revealed that treatment with 150 mM NaCl almost completely inhibited seed germination, whereas treatment with >50 mM NaCl significantly decreased seed germination rate and index. Therefore, this study focused on the effects of treatment with 0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl for 7 days on the germination rate, germination index, germination energy, germination vigor index, water content, fresh weight, dry weight, and root length of the plants. When treated with 100 mM NaCl, most species had few survivors after 5 days, even if germination had occurred. Almost all parameters significantly decreased with increasing NaCl concentration. Especially, fresh weight and water content decreased with increasing NaCl concentration, while dry weight did not show a significant response to NaCl concentration, suggesting that salinity stress inhibited water uptake, which is crucial for seed germination. Hormonal analysis revealed the presence of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) and the absence of gibberellic acid. Most species showed no significant changes in IAA and ABA levels with varying NaCl concentrations. However, <i>V. pusanensis</i> showed significantly increased ABA levels with increasing NaCl concentration, and <i>V. daurica</i> showed significantly higher IAA levels at 100 mM NaCl than at other NaCl concentrations. This study demonstrates that salt stress negatively affects Veronica seed germination, with varying intensities among species.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2037-0164
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publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series International Journal of Plant Biology
spelling doaj-art-cd7e7731935345a48ad296560a108fdf2025-08-20T03:26:57ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Plant Biology2037-01642025-05-011626010.3390/ijpb16020060Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in KoreaJin Woo Kim0Ji Hun Yi1Song E Jeong2Eun Ji Choi3Chung Ho Ko4Ji Young Jung5Sang Heon Kim6Wonwoo Cho7Forest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaForest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaForest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaForest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaForest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaForest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaForest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaForest Biological Resources Utilization Center, Korea National Arboretum, Yangpyeong 12500, Republic of KoreaThis study analyzed the seed germination characteristics and physiological responses of five Korean Veronica species (<i>V. daurica</i>, <i>V. nakaiana</i>, <i>V. kiusiana</i> var. <i>glabrifolia</i>, <i>V. pusanensis</i>, and <i>V. pyrethrina</i>) under salinity stress. Preliminary experiments on five Veronica species using various NaCl concentrations revealed that treatment with 150 mM NaCl almost completely inhibited seed germination, whereas treatment with >50 mM NaCl significantly decreased seed germination rate and index. Therefore, this study focused on the effects of treatment with 0, 50, and 100 mM NaCl for 7 days on the germination rate, germination index, germination energy, germination vigor index, water content, fresh weight, dry weight, and root length of the plants. When treated with 100 mM NaCl, most species had few survivors after 5 days, even if germination had occurred. Almost all parameters significantly decreased with increasing NaCl concentration. Especially, fresh weight and water content decreased with increasing NaCl concentration, while dry weight did not show a significant response to NaCl concentration, suggesting that salinity stress inhibited water uptake, which is crucial for seed germination. Hormonal analysis revealed the presence of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) and the absence of gibberellic acid. Most species showed no significant changes in IAA and ABA levels with varying NaCl concentrations. However, <i>V. pusanensis</i> showed significantly increased ABA levels with increasing NaCl concentration, and <i>V. daurica</i> showed significantly higher IAA levels at 100 mM NaCl than at other NaCl concentrations. This study demonstrates that salt stress negatively affects Veronica seed germination, with varying intensities among species.https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/16/2/60hormonal analysisNaClsalinity stresssalt toleranceseed germinationVeronica
spellingShingle Jin Woo Kim
Ji Hun Yi
Song E Jeong
Eun Ji Choi
Chung Ho Ko
Ji Young Jung
Sang Heon Kim
Wonwoo Cho
Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in Korea
International Journal of Plant Biology
hormonal analysis
NaCl
salinity stress
salt tolerance
seed germination
Veronica
title Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in Korea
title_full Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in Korea
title_fullStr Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in Korea
title_full_unstemmed Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in Korea
title_short Seed Germination and Responses of Five Native <i>Veronica</i> Species Under Salinity Stress in Korea
title_sort seed germination and responses of five native i veronica i species under salinity stress in korea
topic hormonal analysis
NaCl
salinity stress
salt tolerance
seed germination
Veronica
url https://www.mdpi.com/2037-0164/16/2/60
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