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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (3): 158-166.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2020147

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Comparative metabolite profiling of alfalfa seeds dried at different temperatures

Di ZHANG1,2(), Li-fei REN1, Guang-bin LIU3, Fu-qing LUO4, Wen-hao ZHANG1, Tian-zuo WANG1()   

  1. 1.Institute of Botany,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100093,China
    2.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,College of Life Sciences,Beijing 100049,China
    3.Qingdao University of Science and Technology,College of Electromechanical Engineering,Qingdao 266061,China
    4.Yuan Longping High-tech Agriculture Company Limited,Changsha 410001,China
  • Received:2020-03-31 Revised:2020-06-04 Online:2021-03-20 Published:2021-03-09
  • Contact: Tian-zuo WANG

Abstract:

The present study explored the effects of different drying methods on the seed germination rate of Medicago falcata ‘Zhongke No.1’. High performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry were used to analyze the different metabolites produced during natural drying of alfalfa seeds at 39 and 65 ℃. It was found that 39 ℃ was the highest drying temperature which did not affect the seed germination rate and drying at 65 ℃ reduced the germination rate of alfalfa seeds by half. Drying at 39 ℃ and natural drying were similar in terms of the change in metabolites detected before and after drying. However, drying at 65 ℃ induced a larger change in the metabolite profile of seeds. Based on analysis of metabolome data, nucleosides, nucleotides, and their analogues was altered most significantly by high temperature, and lipids and lipid-like molecules followed. The purine?metabolism pathway in seeds was acutely affected by drying at high temperature. The findings of this study elucidate, in terms of different metabolites present, the reasons for low germination rate after high temperature drying, and provide a theoretical basis for improving the design of equipment for alfalfa seed drying.

Key words: alfalfa, germination rate, metabolite, seed drying