The effect of coating the seed of clover crops by water absorbing seed process (WASP) technology pelletization on its germination capacity was studied in conditions of diverse drought intensities simulated by different concentrations of polyethylenglycol (PEG) 8000 solution. Drought resistance was monitored in the seed of five fodder clover species: Anthyllis vulneraria L., Medicago lupulina L., Trifolium repens L., Melilotus albus Medik. and Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. In the seed of given plant species, germination capacity was determined along with the share of dead and hard seeds. Although the coating significantly (p < 0.05) affected the drought resistance of seeds, the germination capacity increased only in conditions of milder drought (simulation with PEG: 0.1-0.3 mol). With the increasing intensity of drought induced by higher PEG concentrations (0.4-0.7 mol) the number of germinable seeds demonstrably decreased and the number of dead seeds increased in the coated seed as compared with the uncoated seed. The coated seed can be appropriate for use in M. lupulina, M. albus and T. repens, while the uncoated seed can be used in A. vulneraria and O. viciifolia.

Agricultural Research Ltd 66441 Troubsko Czech Republic

Department of Agrochemistry Soil Science Microbiology and Plant Nutrition Faculty of AgriSciences Mendel University in Brno 61300 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Agrosystems and Bioclimatology Faculty of AgriSciences Mendel University in Brno 61300 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Geology and Soil Science Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Mendel University in Brno 61300 Brno Czech Republic

Faculty of Chemistry Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Environmental Protection Brno University of Technology 62100 Brno Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Procházka P., Štranc P., Vostřel J., Řehoř J., Brinar J., Křováček J., Pazderů K. The influence of effective soybean seed treatment on root biomass formation and seed production. Plant Soil Environ. 2019;65:588–593. doi: 10.17221/545/2019-PSE. DOI

Shah T., Amir Z., Khan A.Z., Rehman A., Akbar H., Muhammad A., Khalil S. Influence of pre-sowing seed treatments on germination properties and seedling vigor of wheat. Res. Agric. Vet. Sci. 2017;1:62–70.

Kintl A., Elbl J., Lošák T., Vaverková M.D., Nedělník J. Mixed Intercropping of Wheat and White Clover to Enhance the Sustainability of the Conventional Cropping System: Effects on Biomass Production and Leaching of Mineral Nitrogen. Sustainability. 2018;10:3367. doi: 10.3390/su10103367. DOI

Kintl A., Elbl J., Vítěz T., Brtnický M., Skládanka J., Hammerschmiedt T., Vítězová M. Possibilities of Using White Sweetclover Grown in Mixture with Maize for Biomethane Production. Agron. 2020;10:1407. doi: 10.3390/agronomy10091407. DOI

Feldsaaten Freudenberger: Seed Coating Technology. [(accessed on 10 October 2019)]; Available online: http://www.mantelsaat.com/english/home.html.

Bicakci T., Aksu E., Arslan M. Effect of seed coating on germination, emergence and early seedling growth in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) under salinity conditions. Fresenius Environ. Bull. 2018;27:6978–6984.

Misra A.N., Biswal A.K., Misra M. Physiological, biochemical and molecular aspects of water stress responses in plants and their biotechnological applications. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. India. 2002;72:115–134.

Muscolo A., Sidari M., Anastasi U., Santonoceto C., Maggio A. Effect of PEG-induced drought stress on seed germination of four lentil genotypes. J. Plant Interact. 2014;9:354–363. doi: 10.1080/17429145.2013.835880. DOI

Dodd G.L., Donovan L.A. Water potential and ionic effects on germination and seedling growth of two cold desert shrubs. Am. J. Bot. 1999;86:1146–1153. doi: 10.2307/2656978. PubMed DOI

Misra A.N. Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.R. Br.) seedling establishment under variable soil moisture levels. Acta Physiol. Plant. 1994;16:101–103.

Pazderů K., Koudela M. Influence of hydrogelon germination of lettuce and onion seed at different moisture levels. Acta Univ. Agric. Silvic. Mendel. Brun. 2013;61:1817–1822. doi: 10.11118/actaun201361061817. DOI

Ehsanfar S., Modarres-Sanavy S.A. Crop protection by seed coating. Commun. Agric. Appl. Biol. Sci. 2005;70:225–229. PubMed

Arjenaki F.G., Dehaghi M.A., Jabbari R. Effects of priming on seed germination of marigold (Calendula officinalis) Adv. Environ. Biol. 2011;5:276–280.

Zabala J.M., Marinoni L., Giavedoni J.A., Schrauf G.E. Breeding strategies in Melilotus albus Desr., a salt-tolerant forage legume. Euphytica. 2018;22:214. doi: 10.1007/s10681-017-2031-0. DOI

Kulkarni K.P., Tayade T., Asekova S., Song J.T., Shannon J.G., Lee J.D. Harnessing the potential of forage legumes, alfalfa, soybean, and cowpea for Sustainable Agriculture and global food security. Fron. Plant. Sci. 2018;9:1314. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01314. PubMed DOI PMC

Kintl A., Vitez T., Elbl J., Vitezova M., Dokulilova T., Nedelnik J., Skladanka J., Brtnicky M. Mixed culture of corn and white lupine as an alternative to silage made from corn monoculture intended for biogas production. Bioenergy Res. 2019;3:694–702. doi: 10.1007/s12155-019-10003-y. DOI

Roberts R., Jackson R.W., Mauchline T.H., Hirsch P.R., Shaw L.J., Döring T.F., Jones H.E. Is there sufficient ensifer and rhizobium species diversity in UK farmland soils to support red clover (Trifolium pratense), white clover (T. repens), lucerne (Medicago sativa) and black medic (M. lupulina)? Appl. Soil Ecol. 2017;120:35–43. doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.06.030. PubMed DOI PMC

Ladizinsky G. Pulse Domestication before Cultivation. Econ. Bot. 1987;41:60–65. doi: 10.1007/BF02859349. DOI

Kissing Kucek L., Riday H., Rufener B.P., Burke A.N., Eagen S.S., Ehlke N., Krogman S., Mirsky S.B., Reberg-Horton C., Ryan M.R., et al. Pod Dehiscence in Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) Front. Plant Sci. 2020;11:82. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00082. PubMed DOI PMC

Smýkal P., Vernoud V., Blair M.W., Soukup A., Thompson R.D. The role of the testa during development and in establishment of dormancy of the legume seed. Front. Plant Sci. 2014;5:351. PubMed PMC

Loi A., Howieson J.G., Nutt B.J., Carr J. A second generation of annual pasture legumes and their potential for inclusion in Mediterranean-type farming systems. Austr. J. Exp. Agric. 2005;45:289–299. doi: 10.1071/EA03134. DOI

Norman H., Cocks P., Galwey N. Hardseededness in annual clovers: Variation between populations from wet and dry environments. Crop Pasture Sci. 2002;53:821–829. doi: 10.1071/AR01115. DOI

Smetham M. A review of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.): Its ecology and use a S a pasture legume in Australasia. Adv. Agron. 2003;79:303–350.

Toosi A., Bakar B., Azizi M. Effect of drought stress by using PEG 6000 on germination and early seedling growth of Brassica juncea Var. Ensabi. Scientific Papers. Series, A. Agronomy. 2014;LVII:360–363.

Almansouri M., Kinet J.M. Effect of Salt and Osmotic Stresses on Germination in Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) Plant Soil. 2001;231:243–254. doi: 10.1023/A:1010378409663. DOI

Channaoui S., El Kahkahi R., Charafi J., Mazouz H., Mohamed El F., Nabloussi A. Germination and Seedling Growth of a Set of Rapeseed (Brassica napus) Varieties under Drought Stress Conditions. Int. J. Environ. Agric. Biotechnol. 2017;2:487–494. doi: 10.22161/ijeab/2.1.61. DOI

Fischer R.A., Maurer R. Drought resistance in spring wheat cultivars. I. Grain yield responses. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 1978;29:897–912. doi: 10.1071/AR9780897. DOI

Wu L.M., Yong F., Yang H.N., Bai L.Y. Effects of drought-stress on seed germination and growth physiology of quinclorac-resistant Echinochloa crusgalli. PLoS ONE. 2019;14:e0214480. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214480. PubMed DOI PMC

Faraji J., Sepehri A. Ameliorative effects of TiO2 nanoparticles and sodium nitroprusside on seed germination and seedling growth of wheat under PEG-stimulated drought stress. J. Seed Sci. 2019;41:309–317. doi: 10.1590/2317-1545v41n3213139. DOI

Ahmad S., Ahmad R., Ashraf M., Waraich A.E. Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus L.) response to drought stress at germination and seedling growth stages. Pak. J. Bot. 2009;41:647–654.

Hu F., Jones R. Effects of plant extracts of Bothriochloa pertusa and Urochloa mosambicensis on seed germination and seedling growth of Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano and Stylosanthes scabra cv. Seca. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 1997;48:1257–1264. doi: 10.1071/A97036. DOI

Hellal F.A., El-Shabrawi H.M., Abd El-Hady M., Khatab I.A., El-Sayed S.A.A., Abdelly C. Influence of PEG induced drought stress on molecular and biochemical constituents and seedling growth of Egyptian barley cultivars. J. Genet. Eng. Biotechnol. 2018;16:203–212. doi: 10.1016/j.jgeb.2017.10.009. PubMed DOI PMC

Gorim L., Asch F. Seed Coating with Hydro-Absorbers as Potential Mitigation of Early Season Drought in Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Biology. 2017;6:33. doi: 10.3390/biology6030033. PubMed DOI PMC

Vymyslický T., Lošák M., Salaš P., Kintl A. Influence of Seed Coating on Germination and Field Emergence in Selected Grass and Fodder Legume Species; Proceedings of the 14th Scientific and Technical Seminar on Seed and Seedlings; Prague, Czech Republic. 14–15 November 2019; pp. 37–43.

Pedrini S., Merritt D.J., Stevens J., Dixon K. Seed Coating: Science or Marketing Spin? Trends Plant Sci. 2017;22:106–116. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2016.11.002. PubMed DOI

Bennett S., Francis C., Reid B. Minor and Under-utilised Legumes. In: Maxted N., Bennett S.J., editors. Plant Genetic Resources of Legumes in the Mediterranean. Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture. Springer; Dordrecht, The Netherlands: 2001. p. 39.

Sterk A.A., van Duijkeren A., Hogervorst J., Verbeek E.D.M. Demographic studies of Anthyllis vulneraria L. in the Netherlands. II. Population density fluctuations and adaptations to arid conditions, seed populations, seedling mortality, and influence of the biocenosis on demographic features. Acta Bot. Neerl. 1982;31:11–40. doi: 10.1111/j.1438-8677.1982.tb01590.x. DOI

Clark A. Managing Cover Crops Profitably. 3rd ed. Sustainable Agriculture Network; Beltsville, MD, USA: 2007.

Fan L.-M., Ma A.Q., Liang J.Q., Li H.F., Wang E.T., Wei G.H. Characterization of a copper-resistant symbiotic bacterium isolated from Medicago lupulina growing in mine tailings. Bioresour. Technol. 2011;102:703–709. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2010.08.046. PubMed DOI

Amer N., Al Chami Z., Al Bitar L., Mondelli D., Dumontet S. Evaluation of Atriplex halimus, Medicago lupulina, and Portulaca oleracea for phytoremediation of Ni, Pb, and Zn. Int. J. Phytoremediation. 2013;15:498–512. doi: 10.1080/15226514.2012.716102. PubMed DOI

Sidhu S.S., Cavers P.B. Maturity-dormancy relationships in attached and detached seeds of Medicago lupulina L. (black medick) Bot. Gaz. 1977;138:174–182. doi: 10.1086/336913. DOI

Sidhu S.S. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Western Ontario; London, ON, Canada: 1971. Some aspects of the ecology of black medick (Medicago lupulina L.)

Patanè C., Cosentino S., Venera C. Hardseededness in two Medicago species as affected by water stress during seed development. Options Méditerranéennes. 2008;79:345–348.

Medvedev P.F. Some biological characters of Medicago lupulina. Nauchn. Tr., Severo-Zapadn. Nauchno-Issled Inst. S-KH. Can.J. Plant Sci. 1973;23:173–179.

Marshall A., Rascle C., Abberton M., Michaelson-Yeates T., Rhodes I. Introgression as a Route to Improved Drought Tolerance in White Clover (Trifolium repens L.) J. Agron. Crop Sci. 2001;187:11–18. doi: 10.1046/j.1439-037X.2001.00495.x. DOI

Trnka M. Agroclimatic conditions in Europe under climate change. Glob. Chang. Biol. 2011;17:2298–2318. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02396.x. DOI

Žalud Z., Hlavinka P., Růžek P., Klem K., Zahradníček P., Štěpánek P., Možný M., Trnka M. Climate Change and Its Impact on Field Production with Focus on Sugar Beet in Czech Republic. Listy Cukrov. Reparske. 2020;7/8:248–255.

Brink G.E., Pederson G.A. White clover response to a water application gradient. Crop Sci. 1998;38:771–775. doi: 10.2135/cropsci1998.0011183X003800030025x. DOI

Barbour M., Caradus J.R., Woodfield D.R., Silvester W.B. Water stress and water use efficiency of ten white clover cultivars. In: Woodfield D.R., editor. White Clover New Zealand’s Com Petitive Edge Grassland Research and Practice Seriesno. Volume 6. Lincoln University; Lincoln, New Zealand: 1995. pp. 159–162.

Turkington R., Cavers P., Rempel E. The biology of Canadian weeds. 29. Melilotus alba Desr. and M. officinalis (L.) Lam. Can. J. Plant Sci. 1978;58:523–537.

Haiyan L., Li X., Zhang D., Liu H., Guan K. Effects of drought stress on the seed germination and early seedling growth of the endemic desert plant Eremosparton songoricum (Fabaceae) Excli. J. 2013;12:89–101. PubMed PMC

Gucker C.L. Melilotus alba, M. officinalis. Fire Effects Information System. [(accessed on 8 April 2021)];2009 Available online: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/melspp/all.html.

Van Assche J.A., Debucquoy K.L.A., Rommens W.A.F. Seasonal cycles in the germination capacity of buried seeds of some Leguminosae (Fabaceae) N. Phytol. 2003;158:315–323. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00744.x. DOI

Crocker W. Life span of seeds. Bot. Rev. 1938;4:235–274. doi: 10.1007/BF02871649. DOI

Paiaro V., Mangeaud A., Pucheta E. Alien seedling recruitment as a response to altitude and soil disturbance in the mountain grasslands of central Argentina. Plant Ecol. 2007;193:279–291. doi: 10.1007/s11258-007-9265-1. DOI

Carbonero C., Mueller-Harvey I., Brown T., Smith L. Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia): A beneficial forage legume. Plant Genet. Resour. 2011;9:70–85. doi: 10.1017/S1479262110000328. DOI

Imanparast L., Hassanpanah D. Response of Onobrychis Genotypes to PEG 10000 Induced Osmotic Stress. Biotechnology. 2009;8:365–369. doi: 10.3923/biotech.2009.365.369. DOI

Küchenmeister K., Küchenmeister F., Wrage-Mönnig N., Kayser M., Isselstein J. Establishment and Early Yield Development of Five Possible Alternatives to Trifolium repens as a Grassland Legume. J. Agric. Sci. 2012;4:86. doi: 10.5539/jas.v4n8p86. DOI

ISTA International Rules for Seed Testing. [(accessed on 8 April 2021)];2017 Available online: https://www.seedtest.org/en/2017-_content---1--3394.html.

Faijunnahar M., Baque A., Habib M.A., Hossain T.H.M.M. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Induced Changes in Germination, Seedling Growth and Water Relation Behavior of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes. Univers. J. Plant. Sci. 2017;5:49–57. doi: 10.13189/ujps.2017.050402. DOI