Drought stress has transgenerational effects on soybean seed germination and seedling vigor

Effects of environmental stressors on the parent may be transmitted to the F1 generation of plants that support global food, oil, and energy production for humans and animals. This study was conducted to determine if the effects of drought stress on parental soybean plants are transmitted to the F1 generation. The germination and seedling vigor of F1 soybean whose maternal parents, Asgrow AG5332 and Progeny P5333RY, were exposed to soil moisture stress, that is, 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20% replacement of evapotranspiration (ET) during reproductive growth, were evaluated under controlled conditions. Pooled over cultivars, effects of soil moisture stress on the parents caused a reduction in the seed germination rate, maximum seed germination, and overall seedling performance in the F1 generation. The effect of soil moisture stress on the parent environment induced seed quality that carried on the F1 generation seed gemination and seedling traits under optimum conditions and further exasperated when exposed to increasing levels of drought stress. Results indicate that seed weight and storage reserve are key factors positively associated with germination traits and seedling growth. Our data confirm that the effects of soil moisture stress on soybean are transferable, causing reduced germination, seedling vigor, and seed quality in the F1 generation. Therefore, optimal water supply during soybean seed formation period may be beneficial for seed producers in terms of optimizing seed quality and vigor characteristics of commodity seed.

环境应激因素对亲本的影响可能传递至支持全球人类及动物食品、石油和能源生产的第一代植物。本研究旨在确定干旱胁迫对亲本大豆植物的影响是否传递至F1代。本研究评估了母本为Asgrow AG5332和Progeny P5333RY的大豆F1代在生殖生长期间暴露于土壤水分胁迫（即蒸发蒸腾量（ET）的100%、80%、60%、40%和20%替代）下的发芽和幼苗活力。综合各品种，亲本土壤水分胁迫对种子发芽率、最大发芽率和整体幼苗表现产生了降低效应。亲本环境土壤水分胁迫对种子质量的影响，在F1代种子发芽和幼苗性状的最优条件下得以延续，并在干旱胁迫程度加剧中进一步加剧。结果表明，种子重量和储存储备是种子发芽特性和幼苗生长的正相关关键因素。我们的数据证实，土壤水分胁迫对大豆的影响具有可传递性，导致F1代种子发芽、幼苗活力和种子质量下降。因此，在豆类种子形成期提供最佳的水分供应可能对种子生产商优化商品种子的种子质量和活力特性有益。