PJB-2023-569
The Potential of Seed Germination and Water Uptake Performance as Strategies for Enhancing Drought Tolerance in Tobacco Plants for Sustainable Agriculture
Sıdıka EKREN
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the germination and water uptake parameters of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) seeds by using detailed molecular physiological techniques and spectroscopic analyses. The main objectives of this study were: i) to investigate and determine the seed characteristics of certain oriental tobacco varieties, ii) to evaluate water distribution during water uptake at different physical stages of seed germination, and iii) to investigate the relationship between water uptake and the accumulation of seed hormones such as abscisic acid (ABA) and oil mobilization. In addition, we aimed to establish a prototypical system for tobacco seeds to observe the different stages of water uptake and the effect of ABA on this process, which we refer to as the different phases of water uptake by seeds. We also used qPCR to detect potential viral pathogens, including tobacco mosaic tobamovirus (TMV), tobacco etch potyvirus (TEV), tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), potato virus Y (PVY), and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) in tobacco plants. This study aimed to determine the presence of these viral pathogens and assess their potential impact on agricultural practices in the event of infection. Our investigation showed that seed water uptake was characterized by three phases. However, these three phases showed inconsistencies in the physical characteristics of seed germination, such as testa rupture at the end of germination. Abscisic acid (ABA) has been found to potentially inhibit the progression of seed testa rupture and influence tobacco seed germination to undergo multiple growth and developmental stages, comprising a total of three steps (three phases) during water uptake. This functional role of ABA was attributed to the third phase (phase III) of water uptake. However, abscisic acid had no effect on growth and testa rupture during the early stages (phases I and II) due to embryo elongation.
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