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Exposure of Maize Seeds to Liquid Nitrogen Modifies the Morphology and Hormonal Response of Young Plants

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BACKGROUND: Cryopreservation currently represents the most suitable strategy for the long-term conservation of plant germplasm. While much effort has focused on the development of protocols to enable successful cryostorage, there are few, if any reports, that consider the effect of cryogenic temperatures on the phytohormone status of the seed and developing seedlings. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of cryopreservation on external seed coat features as well as levels of indole-3- acetic acid (IAA), abscisic acid (ABA) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in maize. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups of seeds at 6% moisture content were compared: one was maintained at 4°C (control) while the other was exposed to LN within cryo-vials. RESULTS: Seeds exposed to cryogenic temperatures were characterized by the presence of large cracks in the seed coat compared with control seeds. Cryogenic exposure also resulted in a reduction in biomass and plant height. Results from the phytohormone analysis showed an initial reduction in the levels of IAA, ABA and ACC after 7 days of growth followed by sharp increase in levels relative to the control by 14 days. Whilst the roles of ABA and ethylene (and by extension, its precursor ACC) are well studied as stress response molecules, much less is known about the potentially vital role of auxins in regulating plant growth under conditions of low temperature stress. CONCLUSION: It is postulated that the interaction of all three hormones modulate crosstalk between various stress responses and recovery pathways to ameliorate the damage caused by freezing stress and enable plant survival. Given the dearth of information on phytohormones in cryobiology, more studies are needed to fully elucidate these relationships in the context of freezing stress caused by liquid nitrogen.

Keywords: CRYOPRESERVATION; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS; SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; ZEA MAYS L

Document Type: Research Article

Affiliations: 1: Laboratory for Plant Breeding and Conservation of Genetic Resources, Bioplant Center, University of Ciego de Avila, Ciego de Ávila, 69450, Cuba 2: Universidad Estatal del Sur de Manabí (UNESUM), Ecuador 3: Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035 Kórnik, Poland 4: Plant Improvement; Agricultural Research Council-Tropical and Subtropical Crops; Private Bag X11208, Nelspruit, 1200, South Africa 5: Julius Kühn Institute, Institute for Breeding Research on Fruit Crops, Pillnitzer Platz 3a, 01326 Dresden, Germany 6: Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Biology, 01062 Dresden, German

Publication date: November 1, 2023

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  • CryoLetters is a bimonthly international journal for low temperature sciences, including cryobiology, cryopreservation or vitrification of cells and tissues, chemical and physical aspects of freezing and drying, and studies involving ecology of cold environments, and cold adaptation

    The journal publishes original research reports, authoritative reviews, technical developments and commissioned book reviews of studies of the effects produced by low temperatures on a wide variety of scientific and technical processes, or those involving low temperature techniques in the investigation of physical, chemical, biological and ecological problems.

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