AUTHOR=Gu Ruiting , Zhou Yi , Song Xiaoyue , Xu Shaochun , Zhang Xiaomei , Lin Haiying , Xu Shuai , Yue Shidong , Zhu Shuyu 

TITLE=Tolerance of Ruppia sinensis Seeds to Desiccation, Low Temperature, and High Salinity With Special Reference to Long-Term Seed Storage

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2018

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.00221

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2018.00221

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=Seeds are important materials for the restoration of globally-threatened marine angiosperm (seagrass) populations. In this study, we investigated the differences between different Ruppia sinensis seed types and developed two feasible long-term R. sinensis seed storage methods. The ability of R. sinensis seeds to tolerate the short-term desiccation and extreme cold had been investigated. The tolerance of R. sinensis seeds to long- term exposure of high salinity, cold temperature, and desiccation had been considered as potential methods for long-term seed storage. Also, three morphological and nine physiological indices were measured and compared between two types of seeds: Shape L and Shape S. We found that: 1) Wet storage at a salinity of 30-40 psu and 0℃ were the optimal long-term storage conditions, and the proportion of viable seeds reached over 90% after a storage period of 11 months since the seeds were collected from the reproductive shoots; 2) dry condition was not the optimal choice for long-term storage of R. sinensis seeds; however, storing seeds in a dry condition at 5℃ and 33+10% relative humidity for 9 months had a relatively high percentage (74.44 + 2.22%) of viable seeds, consequently desiccation exposure could also be an acceptable seed storage method; 3) R. sinensis seeds would lose vigor in the interaction of extreme cold (-27℃) and desiccation; 4) there were significant differences in seed weight, seed curvature, and endocarp thickness between the two types of seeds; These findings provided basic seed-related ecological information for R. sinensis and support the long-term storage of its seeds. Our results may also serve as useful information for seagrass seed storage and restoration programs.