Scholarlink

Abstract <p>Drought stress severely impairs maize seed germination and seedling establishment through oxidative damage. While seed priming is a promising mitigation strategy, there is a need for more efficient methods. The combination of ozone (O<sub>3</sub>) as a mild eustress agent and nano-bubble (NB) technology for enhanced gas delivery presents a novel, unexplored priming approach. This study investigated the efficacy and physiological mechanism of ozone-enriched nano-bubble water priming in enhancing drought tolerance in maize. Maize seeds were primed with nano-bubble water (NB) or NB enriched with 0.1 or 0.2 mg/L O<sub>3</sub>, with hydropriming and dry seeds as controls. Primed seeds were germinated under drought stress simulated by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) at osmotic potentials of 0, −0.5, −1.0, and −1.5 MPa. Germination parameters, seedling growth, antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD)), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were assessed. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, correlation, principal component, and path analyses. The interaction between priming and drought stress was highly significant (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01). Under severe drought (−1.5 MPa), priming with NB + 0.2 mg/L O<sub>3</sub> significantly increased germination percentage by 20.5% and seedling length by 6.3% compared to the unprimed control. This treatment was also associated with moderately higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and POD) and lower MDA content (by 14.7%) compared with the unprimed control under drought stress. Path analysis suggested that modulation of antioxidant responses and reduced oxidative damage may partially contribute to the improved seedling growth observed in O<sub>3</sub>-NB primed seeds. Priming with ozone-enriched nano-bubble water is a promising priming strategy for enhancing drought tolerance in maize. It may contribute to drought tolerance partly through modulation of antioxidant defense responses. This novel technology holds significant promise for sustainable agriculture in water-limited environments.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Ozone-Nanobubble Priming Induces a Pre-Activated Antioxidant System for Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Maize

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月2日

查看全文
  • M. Sedghi,
  • H. Saadat

摘要

Abstract

Drought stress severely impairs maize seed germination and seedling establishment through oxidative damage. While seed priming is a promising mitigation strategy, there is a need for more efficient methods. The combination of ozone (O3) as a mild eustress agent and nano-bubble (NB) technology for enhanced gas delivery presents a novel, unexplored priming approach. This study investigated the efficacy and physiological mechanism of ozone-enriched nano-bubble water priming in enhancing drought tolerance in maize. Maize seeds were primed with nano-bubble water (NB) or NB enriched with 0.1 or 0.2 mg/L O3, with hydropriming and dry seeds as controls. Primed seeds were germinated under drought stress simulated by polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) at osmotic potentials of 0, −0.5, −1.0, and −1.5 MPa. Germination parameters, seedling growth, antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POD)), and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were assessed. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, correlation, principal component, and path analyses. The interaction between priming and drought stress was highly significant (P < 0.01). Under severe drought (−1.5 MPa), priming with NB + 0.2 mg/L O3 significantly increased germination percentage by 20.5% and seedling length by 6.3% compared to the unprimed control. This treatment was also associated with moderately higher activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD and POD) and lower MDA content (by 14.7%) compared with the unprimed control under drought stress. Path analysis suggested that modulation of antioxidant responses and reduced oxidative damage may partially contribute to the improved seedling growth observed in O3-NB primed seeds. Priming with ozone-enriched nano-bubble water is a promising priming strategy for enhancing drought tolerance in maize. It may contribute to drought tolerance partly through modulation of antioxidant defense responses. This novel technology holds significant promise for sustainable agriculture in water-limited environments.