Maya Hotta1,2, James Kennedy1,3, Clement Higginbotham1 and Noreen Morris1,2

Wheat seed germination response to novel agar/ι-carrageenan blended hydrogel coating under drought stress

1Materials Research Institute, Athlone Institute of Technology, Athlone, Ireland

2Department of Life and Physical Sciences, Athlone Institute of Technology, Athlone, Ireland

3Mazars, Harcourt Road, Dublin 2, Ireland

Corresponding author:

Extreme climate events have increased the frequency and severity of drought in recent years which has caused extensive crop failures throughout the world. Much research has been carried out to mitigate drought stress and improve crop productivity by searching drought tolerant species and developing seed coating materials. ι-Carrageenan is a material extracted from seaweed that is known to act as a plant growth stimulant1. It also forms a water-absorbent material (hydrogel) that can retain/release water to alleviate drought stress in plants. A novel hydrogel seed coating based on a blend of ι-carrageenan and agar was developed in this project2-4, and assessed as a biodegradable and environmentally friendly coating agent to enhance seedling growth in drought simulated conditions. This study revealed that the hydrogel coating on Durum wheat seeds (T. durum) improved speed of germination and overall seed vigour in comparison to the uncoated seeds. This novel agar/ι-carrageenan blended hydrogel has shown the potential to work as a natural, non-toxic seed coating material that can enhance seedling development under less than ideal growth conditions.It is anticipated that this natural hydrogel seed coating can be applied to different variety of seeds and contribute to future agriculture and food sustainability.

References:

Castro, J., Vera, J., (2012) Oligo-carrageenans stimulate growth by enhancing photosynthesis, basal metabolism, and cell cycle in Tobacco plants (var. Burley), Journal of Plant Growth Regulation, 31(2): 173–185.
Hotta, M., Kennedy, J., Higginbotham, C., Morris, N. (2016) Durum wheat seed germination response to hydrogel coatings and moisture under drought stress, American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, 11(2): 67–75.
Hotta, M., Kennedy, J., Higginbotham, C., Morris, N. (2016) Development of seed coating agent with ι-carrageenan hydrogel for sustainable agriculture, Journal of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland, July(3): 36–37.
Hotta, M., Kennedy, J., Higginbotham, C., Morris, N. (2014) Synthesis and characterisation of novel ι-carrageenan hydrogel blends for agricultural seed coating application, Applied Mechanics and Materials, 679: 81–91.

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