Terminal drought and seed priming improves drought tolerance in wheat

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Plant Physiology
• Stress Biology

Background:

• Plants can develop memory of prior abiotic stresses, enhancing tolerance to future stress events.
• Terminal drought stress can influence subsequent generations' resilience.
• Seed priming is a technique to improve seed performance and crop establishment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of drought memory and seed priming on drought tolerance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).
• To compare the effectiveness of hydropriming and osmopriming in enhancing drought tolerance.

Main Methods:

• Wheat was grown under well-watered and terminal drought conditions.
• Seeds from these conditions were subjected to hydropriming, osmopriming, or used as dry controls.
• Primed and control seeds were sown, and resulting plants were subjected to drought or well-watered conditions.

Main Results:

• Drought stress reduced wheat growth, water relations, and yield, while increasing osmolytes and malondialdehyde.
• Seeds from drought-stressed plants produced progeny with improved growth, osmolytes, and reduced lipid peroxidation.
• Seed priming, especially osmopriming, significantly enhanced leaf area, water status, osmolytes, and grain yield under drought.

Conclusions:

• Terminal drought induces heritable modifications in wheat seed composition, enhancing transgenerational drought tolerance.
• Seed priming, particularly osmopriming, improves wheat drought tolerance by enhancing tissue water status and osmolytes accumulation while reducing lipid peroxidation.