The interaction between salinity stress and seed ageing during germination of Brassica napus seeds

Abstract

A study was designed to examine the effects of NaCl, high temperature, high relative humidity and storage on the germination of Brassica napus seeds, both when freshly harvested and after natural and accelerated ageing. After exposure to a combination of stressful conditions, the intensity of lipid peroxidation in the seeds, seedling shoot and roots, and seed germination were measured. A significant decline in germination at all concentrations of NaCl indicates that seeds which have been exposed to accelerated ageing are significantly less able to resist even the lowest levels of salt stress. Moreover, the intensity of lipid peroxidation in the seeds and seedlings examined after a year of storage in uncontrolled conditions was higher compared with tests carried out in the year of seed production.