Improvement of Seed Quality by Priming: Concept and Biological Basis

Presoaking seeds in water (hydropriming) or a solution, usually of polyethylene glycol (PEG) various salts at low potential (osmopriming), has been demonstrated to improve the germination numerous species including vegetables (carrot, celery, leek, lettuce, tomato), floral plants (cyclamen, primrose, pansy) and others (sugar beet, rape, soybean, sunflower). This treatment allows stricto sensu occur but prevents radicle protrusion. Germination primed is more rapid uniform than that unprimed ones. Primed germinate wider range temperatures are less sensitive oxygen deprivation. Interestingly, priming also improves aged seeds. The stimulatory effect persists after redrying often during storage; however, deteriorate faster storage accelerated aging A better understanding mechanisms involved us suggest markers effectiveness priming. Among these markers, ethylene production imbibition, cell-cycle processes (DNA replication, ß-tubulin), soluble sugar metabolism (raffinose family oligosaccharides, particular), reactive scavenging through antioxidant systems energy correlated seed vigor. Global approaches (proteomic, metabolomic transcriptomic) could result identification new markers.