Abstract
Introduction Developing efficient, eco-friendly strategies to enhance crop salt tolerance is essential for sustaining grain productivity in saline soils. Although silicon quantum dots (Si QDs) have been reported to enhance crop stress resilience through soil or foliar application, their potential as seed priming agents to regulate crop salt tolerance remains poorly understood. Methods To address this question, we synthesized water-soluble Si QDs via a one-step hydrothermal method. Using maize ( Zea mays L.) as the model crop, we first performed plate germination assays to compare Si QDs priming effects with those of hydropriming, sodium silicate (Na 2 SiO 3 ), and silica nanoparticles (SiO 2 NPs). We further conducted pot experiments to systematically evaluate the growth-promoting efficacy and physiological basis of Si QDs seed priming in Yellow River Delta coastal saline soil. Results and Discussion At high salinity (125–150 mM), Si QDs seed priming significantly enhanced the germination rate, germination potential, germination index, root length, shoot length, and vigor index in maize. Si QDs seed priming improved the overall germination performance by 132.3% and 39.9% relative to Na2SiO3 and SiO2 NPs priming, respectively. Pot experiments demonstrated that Si QDs seed priming enhanced seedling emergence, biomass accumulation, and root system architecture. Notably, Si QDs seed priming significantly improved seedling responses to salt stress, as reflected by a 19.5% decrease in the Na + /K + ratio, a 10.1% increase in superoxide dismutase activity, a 25.4% decrease in malondialdehyde content, and a marked enhancement in photosynthetic capacity. With ultrasmall particle size and abundant hydrophilic functional groups, Si QDs form effective interfacial contact with the seed coat, and are efficiently internalized by seed tissues, thereby enhancing germination. In addition, Si QDs promote maize seedling growth via synergistic regulation of ion homeostasis, enhancement of antioxidant defense, and improvement of photosynthetic efficiency. Collectively, this study not only demonstrates that Si QDs outperform conventional Na2SiO3 and SiO2 NPs as seed priming agents, but also expands the application scope of Si QDs from post-emergence field application to pre-sowing seed priming. These findings provide experimental evidence supporting potential application of Si QDs in Yellow River Delta coastal saline soil.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs priming enhanced germination rate, potential, and index at high salinity.
- Treatment
- Si QDs seed priminge0
- Outcome
- germination rate, germination potential, germination indexe0
- Direction
- enhancede0
- Qualifier
- high salinity (125–150 mM)e0
Zea maysNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At high salinity (125–150 mM), Si QDs seed priming significantly enhanced the germination rate, germination potential, germination index, root length, shoot length, and vigor index in maize.”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs priming enhanced root length, shoot length, and vigor index at high salinity.
- Treatment
- Si QDs seed priminge0
- Outcome
- root length, shoot length, and vigor indexe0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At high salinity (125–150 mM), Si QDs seed priming significantly enhanced the germination rate, germination potential, germination index, root length, shoot length, and vigor index in maize.”
Claim · model-written summary
Overall germination performance was 132.3% better than Na2SiO3 priming.
- Treatment
- Si QDs seed priminge0
- Outcome
- overall germination performancee0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 132.3%e0
- Comparator
- Na2SiO3e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si QDs seed priming improved the overall germination performance by 132.3% and 39.9% relative to Na2SiO3 and SiO2 NPs priming, respectively.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Overall germination performance was 39.9% better than SiO2 NP priming.
- Treatment
- Si QDs seed priminge0
- Outcome
- overall germination performancee0
- Direction
- improvede0
- Value
- 39.9%e0
- Comparator
- SiO2 NPse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si QDs seed priming improved the overall germination performance by 132.3% and 39.9% relative to Na2SiO3 and SiO2 NPs priming, respectively.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs priming enhanced emergence, biomass, and root architecture in pots.
- Treatment
- Si QDs seed priminge0
- Outcome
- seedling emergence, biomass accumulation, and root system architecturee0
- Direction
- enhancede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Pot experiments demonstrated that Si QDs seed priming enhanced seedling emergence, biomass accumulation, and root system architecture.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs priming reduced the seedling Na + /K + ratio by 19.5%.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a 19.5% decrease in the Na + /K + ratio”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs priming increased superoxide dismutase activity by 10.1%.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a 10.1% increase in superoxide dismutase activity”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs priming reduced malondialdehyde content by 25.4%.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a 25.4% decrease in malondialdehyde content”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs priming markedly enhanced photosynthetic capacity.
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a marked enhancement in photosynthetic capacity.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs made effective contact with seed coat and entered seed tissues.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si QDs form effective interfacial contact with the seed coat, and are efficiently internalized by seed tissues, thereby enhancing germination.”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
Si QDs entered seed tissues efficiently.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“are efficiently internalized by seed tissues”
t0“maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attribute growth promotion to ion homeostasis, antioxidant defense, and photosynthesis.
- Outcome
- seedling growthe0
- Qualifier
- synergistic regulation of ion homeostasis, enhancement of antioxidant defense, and improvement of photosynthetic efficiencye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Si QDs promote maize seedling growth via synergistic regulation of ion homeostasis, enhancement of antioxidant defense, and improvement of photosynthetic efficiency.”
The same questions in other papers
silicon atom · growth · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
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See all 68 papers →seed treatment · growth · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
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- positive
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See all 267 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.