Our research on the biostimulants effect on seeds grown in stress conditions is ongoing. The study, published on Plants – the “Biostimulant in Plant Science” special issue – is focused on the treatment of soybean seeds, one of the crops most largely cultivated all around the world, with a strong production located in Brazil where the subsidiary LANDEN do Brasil is present.
During seedling soybean in Brazil is subjected to strong heat stress. KIEM® has been used for a pre-sowing treatment and it was able to reduce the negative effects due to the stress exposure.
After treatment with the biostimulant at 35 °C, germination percentage was increased after 72 h (+10%) and the H2O2 (reactive oxygen species accumulated in presence of stress) was dramatically reduced (-40%).
The RNA-Seq (NGS) analyses showed the modulation of 879 genes surprisingly more than 33% of up-regulated genes encoded for ribosomal RNA (rRNA) methyltransferases, proteins involved in several processes such as DNA reparation, biosynthesis of molecules, protection from enzymatic degradation and response to abiotic stresses.
The results provide insights on the biostimulant mechanism of action and on its application for seed treatments to improve heat stress tolerance during germination.
Surprisingly, more than 33% of upregulated genes encoded for ribosomal RNA (rRNA) methyltransferases and proteins involved in the ribosome assembly, acting in a specific protein network
