Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Dry ageing: A physiologically realistic alternative to accelerated ageing for phenotyping seed longevity in soybean

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12586
Submitted
4 November 2025
Published
22-01-2026

Abstract

Seed longevity is a vital trait that influences germplasm storability and seed quality maintenance. The accelerated ageing test (AAT) is often used to measure longevity, but its high-temperature and humidity conditions do not truly represent natural seed ageing. This study aimed to develop a dry ageing (DA) method as an alternative to the AAT for phenotyping soybean (Glycine max L.) seed longevity. Fifteen soybean genotypes differing in seed coat colour were evaluated under controlled dry conditions at moderate temperature and humidity (41 ± 0.3 °C and 50 % relative humidity (RH)). Germination and vigour traits, including total germination (TG %), normal seedlings (NSL %), shoot length (SL), root length (RL) and seed vigour index (SVI-I) were recorded to compare AAT and DA. Significant variations were observed among genotypes, ageing periods and their interactions. While AAT caused rapid deterioration (TG % from 97.5 to 0.3 % in 10 days), DA showed a slower and more natural decline (TG % from 97.8 to 57.7 % in 214 days). Genotypes TGX 855-32E and B 252 showed less than 30 % reduction in most of the traits. Correlation analysis revealed that DA maintained and strengthened trait relationships over time, unlike AAT, which disrupted them. Dry ageing also separated tolerant and sensitive genotypes more clearly, capturing the natural variation in seed longevity that AAT often compresses or masks. Overall, the DA method provides a simple, less stressful and more realistic alternative to accelerated ageing for screening soybean genotypes for seed longevity under conditions that better represent natural ageing.

References

  1. 1. Khurshid H, Baig D, Jan SA, Arshad M, Khan MA. Miracle crop: the present and future of soybean production in Pakistan. MOJ Biol Med. 2017;2(1):189–91. https://doi.org/10.15406/mojbm.2017.02.00042
  2. 2. Rahman MM, Hossain MM, Anwar MP, Juraimi AS. Plant density influence on yield and nutritional quality of soybean seed. Asian J Plant Sci. 2011;10(2):125–32. https://doi.org/10.3923/ajps.2011.125.132
  3. 3. Shelar VR, Shaikh RS, Nikam AS. Soybean seed quality during storage: a review. Agric Rev. 2008;29(2):125–31.
  4. 4. da Silva MF, Soares JM, Xavier WA, dos Santos Silva FC, da Silva FL, da Silva LJ. The role of the biochemical composition of soybean seeds in the tolerance to deterioration under natural and artificial aging. Heliyon. 2023;9(12). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21628
  5. 5. Rajjou L, Debeaujon I. Seed longevity: survival and maintenance of high germination ability of dry seeds. C R Biol. 2008;331(10):796–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crvi.2008.07.021
  6. 6. Clerkx EJM, Blankestijn-De Vries H, Ruys GJ, Groot SPC, Koornneef M. Genetic differences in seed longevity of various Arabidopsis mutants. Physiol Plant. 2004;121(3):448–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0031-9317.2004.00339.x
  7. 7. Buitink J, Leprince O, Hemminga MA, Hoekstra FA. Molecular mobility in the cytoplasm: an approach to describe and predict lifespan of dry germplasm. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000;97(5):2385-90. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.040554797
  8. 8. Walters C, Ballesteros D, Vertucci VA. Structural mechanics of seed deterioration: standing the test of time. Plant Sci. 2010;179(6):565–73.
  9. 9. Salvi P, Saxena SC, Petla BP, Kamble NU, Kaur H, Verma P, et al. Differentially expressed galactinol synthase(s) in chickpea are implicated in seed vigor and longevity by limiting age-induced ROS accumulation. Sci Rep. 2016;6:35088. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35088
  10. 10. Tejedor-Cano J, Prieto-Dapena P, Almoguera C, Carranco R, Hiratsu K, Ohme-Takagi M, et al. Loss of function of the HSFA9 seed longevity program. Plant Cell Environ. 2010;33(8):1408–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02159.x
  11. 11. Debeaujon I, Leon-Kloosterziel KM, Koornneef M. Influence of the testa on seed dormancy, germination and longevity in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 2000;122(2):403–14. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.122.2.403
  12. 12. Sattler SE, Gilliland LU, Magallanes-Lundback M, Pollard M, DellaPenna D. Vitamin E is essential for seed longevity and for preventing lipid peroxidation during germination. Plant Cell. 2004;16(6):1419–32. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.021360
  13. 13. Tatić M, Balešević-Tubić S, Đorđević V, Nikolić Z, Đukić V, Vujaković M, et al. Soybean seed viability and changes of fatty acids content as affected by seed aging. Afr J Biotechnol. 2012;11(45):10310–6. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB11.3505
  14. 14. Shaban M. Review on physiological aspects of seed deterioration. Int J Agric Crop Sci. 2013;6(11):627–31.
  15. 15. Hosamani J, Kumar MBA, Talukdar A, Lal SK, Dadlani M. Molecular characterization and identification of candidate markers for seed longevity in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]. Indian J Genet Plant Breed. 2013;73(1):64–71. https://doi.org/10.5958/j.0019-5200.73.1.009
  16. 16. Sooganna S, Jain SK, Bhat KV, Lamichaney A, Lal SK. Characterization of soybean (Glycine max) genotypes for seed longevity using SSR markers. Indian J Agric Sci. 2016;86(5):605–10. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v86i5.58261
  17. 17. Naik SM, Madhusudan K, Motagi BM, Mugali S, Nadaf HL. Molecular characterization of seed longevity and associated characters using SSR markers in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]. J Pharmacogn Phytochem. 2019;8(1):2357–60.
  18. 18. Kumar A, Talukdar A, Yadav RR, Poonia S, Ranjan R, Lal SK. Identification of QTLs for seed viability in soybean (Glycine max L.) Merrill. Indian J Genet Plant Breed. 2019;79(4).
  19. 19. Zhang X, Hina A, Song S, Kong J, Bhat JA, Zhao T. Whole-genome mapping identified novel “QTL hotspot regions” for seed storability in soybean (Glycine max L.). BMC Genomics. 2019;20(1):499.
  20. 20. Schwember AR, Bradford KJ. Quantitative trait loci associated with longevity of lettuce seeds under conventional and controlled deterioration storage conditions. J Exp Bot. 2010;61(15):4423–36. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erq248
  21. 21. Agacka-Mołdoch M, Arif MAR, Lohwasser U, Doroszewska T, Qualset CO, Börner A. The inheritance of wheat grain longevity: a comparison between induced and natural ageing. J Appl Genet. 2016;57(4):477–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-016-0356-8
  22. 22. Buitink J, Leprince O. Glass formation in plant anhydrobiotes: survival in the dry state. Cryobiology. 2004;48(3):215–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cryobiol.2004.02.011
  23. 23. Vertucci CW, Roos EE. Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage. Plant Physiol. 1990;94(3):1019–23. https://doi.org10.1104/pp.94.3.1019
  24. 24. Groot SPC, Surki AA, de Vos RCH, Kodde J. Seed storage at elevated partial pressure of oxygen, a fast method for analysing seed ageing under dry conditions. Ann Bot. 2012;110(6):1149–59. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcs198
  25. 25. Prasad CTM, Kodde J, Angenent GC, de Vos RCH, Diez-Simon C, Mumm R, et al. Experimental rice seed aging under elevated oxygen pressure. Front Plant Sci. 2022;13:1050411. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1050411
  26. 26. International seed testing association. International rules for seed testing. Zurich (CH): ISTA; 2024.
  27. 27. Wexler A, Hasegawa S. Relative humidity-temperature relationships of some saturated salt solutions in the temperature range 0° to 50 °C. J Res Nat Bur Stand. 1954;53(1):19–26.
  28. 28. IBPGR. Design of seed storage facilities for genetic conservation. Rome (IT): International Board for Plant Genetic Resources; 1990.
  29. 29. Hay FR, Rezaei S, Buitink J. Seed moisture isotherms, sorption models and longevity. Front Plant Sci. 2022;13:891913. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.891913
  30. 30. Agacka-Mołdoch M, Arif MAR, Lohwasser U, Doroszewska T, Lewis RS, Börner A. QTL analysis of seed germination traits in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). J Appl Genet. 2021;62(3):441–4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-021-00630-1
  31. 31. Abdul-Baki AA, Anderson JD. Vigor determination in soybean seed by multiple criteria. Crop Sci. 1973;13(6):630–3. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci1973.0011183X001300060013x
  32. 32. Sheoran OP. Online statistical analysis (OPSTAT) [software]. Hisar (IN): Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University. 2010.
  33. 33. Wei T, Simko V. Corrplot: visualization of a correlation matrix. R package version 0.84; 2021.
  34. 34. Kassambara A, Mundt F. Factoextra: extract and visualize the results of multivariate data analyses. R package version 1.0.7; 2020. https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.factoextra
  35. 35. Mali MS, Shelar VR, Nagawade DR. Effect of accelerated ageing on seed storage potential of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merrill]. J Food Legumes. 2014;27(3):192–6.
  36. 36. Sultan MS, Abdel-Moneam MA, El-Mansy YM, Goda BR, Attia DA. Impact of accelerated ageing process on viability of Egyptian cotton seeds. J Plant Prod. 2020;11(2):153–57. https://doi.org/10.21608/JPP.2020.79108
  37. 37. Jo H, Noy N, Song JT, Lee JD. Selection of soybean accessions with seed storability test under accelerated aging conditions. Plant Breed Biotechnol. 2023;11(4):263–70. https://doi.org/10.9787/PBB.2023.11.4.263
  38. 38. Tatić M, Balešević-Tubić S, Đorđević V, Nikolić Z, Đukić V, Vujaković M, Cvijanovic G. Soybean seed viability and changes of fatty acids content as affected by seed aging. Afr J Biotechnol. 2012;11(45):10310–16. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB11.3505
  39. 39. Murthy UN, Kumar PP, Sun WQ. Mechanisms of seed ageing under different storage conditions for Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek: lipid peroxidation, sugar hydrolysis, Maillard reactions and their relationship to glass state transition. J Exp Bot. 2003;54(384):1057–67. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erg092
  40. 40. Lehner A, Mamadou N, Poels P, Côme D, Corbineau F. Changes in soluble carbohydrates, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities in the embryo during ageing in wheat grains. J Cereal Sci. 2008;47(3):555–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2007.06.017
  41. 41. Johnson DR, Decker EA. The role of oxygen in lipid oxidation reactions: a review. Annu Rev Food Sci Technol. 2015;6:171–90. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-food-022814-015532
  42. 42. Oenel A, Fekete A, Krischke M, Faul SC, Gresser G, Havaux M, et al. Enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms contribute to lipid oxidation during seed aging. Plant Cell Physiol. 2017;58(5):925–33. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcx036
  43. 43. Zhou Z, Zhang YY, Xin R, Huang XH, Li YL, Dong X, Qin L. Metal ion mediated pro-oxidative reactions of different lipid molecules: revealed by nontargeted lipidomic approaches. J Agric Food Chem. 2022;70(33):10284–95. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c02402
  44. 44. Wang B, Yang R, Ji Z, Zhang H, Zheng W, Zhang H, Feng F. Evaluation of biochemical and physiological changes in sweet corn seeds under natural aging and artificial accelerated aging. Agronomy. 2022;12(5):1028. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12051028
  45. 45. Thenveettil N, Ravikumar RL, Prasad SR. Genome-wide association study reveals the QTLs and candidate genes associated with seed longevity in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill). BMC Plant Biol. 2025;25:829. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-06822-1
  46. 46. Fenollosa E, Jené L, Munné-Bosch S. A rapid and sensitive method to assess seed longevity through accelerated aging in an invasive plant species. Plant Methods. 2020;16:64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-020-00599-4
  47. 47. Suresh A, Shah N, Kotecha M, Robin P. Evaluation of biochemical and physiological changes in seeds of Jatropha curcas L. under natural aging, accelerated aging and saturated salt accelerated aging. Sci Hortic. 2019;255:21–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.05.014
  48. 48. Sahu AK, Sahu B, Soni A, Naithani SC. Active oxygen species metabolism in neem (Azadirachta indica) seeds exposed to natural ageing and controlled deterioration. Acta Physiol Plant. 2017;39:197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-017-2494-6

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.