The research team consisted of Dmitry Afonnikov, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Associate Professor at NSU鈥檚 and Evgeny Komyshev, Assistant at the Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok, together with scientists from the Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS and the Institute of Genetics and Agricultural Plant Studies (IPK) (Gatersleben, Germany). They used digital image analysis to the morphological characteristics of grain and the color of its shell for 44 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) of common wheat that were grown in four different seasons (2003, 2004, 2009 and 2014). For 19 RILs from the same season, the researchers evaluated the germination. This is the first time grain stored in a genetic bank for several years has been studied.
The shell protects the grain from external influences, therefore its safety and functions are closely related to such characteristics as germination, viability, and resistance to long-term storage. Plant pigments play an important role, they perform protective functions on the molecular level. It is known, for example, that red-colored wheat grains are more resistant to premature germination but less susceptible to moisture swelling and this affects their germination.
Afonnikov, talked about the uniqueness of the project,
International scientists are developing remote methods for determining the 芦health禄 of seeds (diseases, mechanical damage, etc.). In their work a change in the color of the grains that is noticeable to the naked eye and its relationship to germination was studied either under conditions of artificial aging (heating) or during storage for no more than a year. In our work, together with the Institute of Cytology and Genetics and Dr. Andreas Berner from the Institute of Agricultural Plant Genetics, we looked at how changes in grain color will manifest themselves during a long storage period in the gene bank when grains are stored at negative temperatures and low humidity in sealed packaging.
Based on the results of dispersion and correlation analysis, scientists found that storage time does not significantly affect the variability of seed size and shape traits, but significantly affects color traits. Approximately 80% of the traits (44 out of 48) change significantly during long-term storage. At the same time, the longer the shelf life, the more red the grains are. Unlike experiments on artificial aging in which the shell of the grains darkens, the scientists found that when stored in a gene bank, the shell becomes lighter.
Afonnikov continued,
When exposed to environmental conditions, including long-term storage, part of the pigments decompose and their concentration in the shell changes which can be determined by a change in the color of the grains. The digital image analysis that we used in our work makes it possible to catch even very slight changes in the color of the grain shell. In the future, this can be used to solve such practical problems as a quick assessment of the physiological state of the grain (the duration of its storage) or predicting its germination.
Published in the 芦Plants禄 journal, the results are important not only for seed producers, but also for gene banks, maintaining genetic collections.
