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Comparison of vitality between seedlings germinated from black-coated and yellow-coated seeds of a turnip rape (Brassica rapa L.) subjected to NaCl and CdCl2 stresses

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Abstract

Yellow-seeded (YS) rapeseed varieties have attracted considerable interests from cultivators because of their thin seed coat and high seed oil content. However, compared with black-seeded (BS) rapeseed, little is known about the response of YS rapeseed to abiotic stresses. In this study, we characterized the cellular structures of YS varieties and BS varieties and the physiological parameters of the YS and BS seedlings subjected to high-salt and/or high-cadmium conditions. We observed larger and denser (in arrangement) oilbodies in YS than in BS varieties. The BS variety seed coat was much thicker than that of the YS variety because of the existence of a palisade layer where pigments are deposited. Either at the eighth day or 1 month after sowing, YS seedlings showed higher sensitivity to NaCl and/or CdCl2 stress than BS seedlings, as reflected by the length of roots, biomass, and a variety of physiological parameters, including MDA, chlorophyll content, and antioxidant activities. Our results suggested that the more vigorous growth of BS seedlings is likely due to the higher flavonoid content in their vegetative tissues, and the poor performance of YS seedlings under stress treatment (especially with NaCl) could be attributed to its relatively low flavonoid content. Our findings raise some points that need further investigation to obtain an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved.

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Abbreviations

YS:

Yellow seeded

BS:

Black seeded

PAs:

Proanthocyanidins

TT:

Transparent Testa

TAGs:

Triacylglycerols

SOD:

Superoxide dismutase

POD:

Peroxide

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

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Acknowledgments

The work of our lab was sponsored by the National Key Basic Research Project (abbreviated as 973 project, Code No. 2015CB150205) and Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Crop Production. We thank Miss Mei Li for her technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, 866 Yu-Hang-Tang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, People’s Republic of China

    Lijie Xuan, Nazim Hussain, Zhong Wang, Yuxiao Jiang, Mingxun Chen & Lixi Jiang

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  1. Lijie Xuan
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  2. Nazim Hussain
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  3. Zhong Wang
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  4. Yuxiao Jiang
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  5. Mingxun Chen
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  6. Lixi Jiang
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Correspondence to Nazim Hussain or Lixi Jiang.

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Xuan, L., Hussain, N., Wang, Z. et al. Comparison of vitality between seedlings germinated from black-coated and yellow-coated seeds of a turnip rape (Brassica rapa L.) subjected to NaCl and CdCl2 stresses. Plant Growth Regul 76, 61–70 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-014-0019-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-014-0019-5

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