Improving nursery performance of Xanthoceras sorbifolium through seed size grading, cotyledon protection, and fertilization management

Improving nursery performance of Xanthoceras sorbifolium through seed size grading, cotyledon protection, and fertilization management | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Improving nursery performance of Xanthoceras sorbifolium through seed size grading, cotyledon protection, and fertilization management xuetao Ma, Yan Ao, Sixue Liu, Yaqi Zheng, Wenhui Shi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667859/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background and aims Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge, an important woody oilseed species with high ecological and economic value, has seedling quality strongly affected by seed size and nutrient management. In natural habitats, cotyledons are often damaged during germination, potentially compromising early seedling establishment. However, little is known about whether fertilization can compensate for disadvantages caused by small seeds or cotyledon loss. Methods Three factorial experiments clarified how seed traits and nutrient supply shape seedling performance: we examined seed size and cotyledon damage timing on nutrient mobilization, seed size effects on growth under different fertility, and cotyledon removal timing with soil fertility on establishment. Kernel biomass, nutrient (N, P, K, NSC) dynamics, seedling growth, morphology and nutrient accumulation were measured; data analyzed via two-factor ANOVA and t-tests. Results Large seeds had greater nutrient reserves, faster and longer-lasting translocation, and supported rapid early growth. High fertility significantly increased seedling height, diameter, biomass and nutrients, partially offsetting small seed disadvantages. Cotyledon integrity was critical for growth and nutrient accumulation, with early removal suppressing growth—effects not fully alleviated by fertilization. Conclusions Seed size fundamentally determines seedling quality; large seeds benefit from ample reserves and efficient translocation. Maintaining cotyledon integrity is essential, as early loss cannot be fully compensated by fertilization. High fertility improves seedling performance but only partially offsets small seed drawbacks, providing practical guidance for X. sorbifolium nursery practices. Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge seed size cotyledon removal soil fertility nutrient transfer seedling quality Full Text Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 19 Feb, 2026 Editor invited by journal 10 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 10 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 08 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8667859","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":594073574,"identity":"5584b0a2-ee1f-4a6b-96a8-6f5faeb09ed6","order_by":0,"name":"xuetao Ma","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAy0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACeWbmww8S//yX42dvPkCcFsP2tjSDhw3MxpI9xxKItObMGQNJoJbEDTd8DIjTwTgjLcEgcQebseQMno833jDYyek2ENDCLpF84EHiGR45funezZZzGJKNzQ4QY0sCm4Sx5Jyz26R5GA4kbiOkheFGjoFEApsB0C85z4jUAvS+RGJbAkgLG3FawIGccOYAKJCNLecYEOEXUFQ+/FFxABSVD2+8qbCTI6gFBUjwEBk1yFpI1TEKRsEoGAUjAgAAd45IZlNYvjMAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1344-1661","institution":"Beijing Forestry University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"xuetao","middleName":"","lastName":"Ma","suffix":""},{"id":594073575,"identity":"fce63a16-e4f3-4de3-b4f7-d839d265419b","order_by":1,"name":"Yan Ao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yan","middleName":"","lastName":"Ao","suffix":""},{"id":594073576,"identity":"0496a03a-ee26-45f9-9906-ff20804dc081","order_by":2,"name":"Sixue Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sixue","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":594073577,"identity":"6c308245-3ea0-4b03-83db-996a80bc55f0","order_by":3,"name":"Yaqi Zheng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yaqi","middleName":"","lastName":"Zheng","suffix":""},{"id":594073578,"identity":"c299fc10-2522-4447-b99a-79d17f07c7ec","order_by":4,"name":"Wenhui Shi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Wenhui","middleName":"","lastName":"Shi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-01-22 09:27:28","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667859/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667859/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104397740,"identity":"2f0eb3af-aedd-4c32-b4a3-f57e558b0995","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 11:55:08","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1169513,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript2.09.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8667859/v1_covered_2ad708a3-4ae0-43dd-80de-045c50bbd471.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Improving nursery performance of Xanthoceras sorbifolium through seed size grading, cotyledon protection, and fertilization management","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"plant-and-soil","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"plso","sideBox":"Learn more about [Plant and Soil](https://www.springer.com/journal/11104)","snPcode":"11104","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11104/3","title":"Plant and Soil","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge, seed size, cotyledon removal, soil fertility, nutrient transfer, seedling quality","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667859/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667859/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBackground and aims Xanthoceras sorbifolium\u003c/em\u003e Bunge, an important woody oilseed species with high ecological and economic value, has seedling quality strongly affected by seed size and nutrient management. In natural habitats, cotyledons are often damaged during germination, potentially compromising early seedling establishment. However, little is known about whether fertilization can compensate for disadvantages caused by small seeds or cotyledon loss.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMethods\u003c/em\u003e Three factorial experiments clarified how seed traits and nutrient supply shape seedling performance: we examined seed size and cotyledon damage timing on nutrient mobilization, seed size effects on growth under different fertility, and cotyledon removal timing with soil fertility on establishment. Kernel biomass, nutrient (N, P, K, NSC) dynamics, seedling growth, morphology and nutrient accumulation were measured; data analyzed via two-factor ANOVA and t-tests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eResults\u003c/em\u003e Large seeds had greater nutrient reserves, faster and longer-lasting translocation, and supported rapid early growth. High fertility significantly increased seedling height, diameter, biomass and nutrients, partially offsetting small seed disadvantages. Cotyledon integrity was critical for growth and nutrient accumulation, with early removal suppressing growth—effects not fully alleviated by fertilization.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConclusions\u003c/em\u003e Seed size fundamentally determines seedling quality; large seeds benefit from ample reserves and efficient translocation. Maintaining cotyledon integrity is essential, as early loss cannot be fully compensated by fertilization. High fertility improves seedling performance but only partially offsets small seed drawbacks, providing practical guidance for \u003cem\u003eX. sorbifolium\u003c/em\u003e nursery practices.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Improving nursery performance of Xanthoceras sorbifolium through seed size grading, cotyledon protection, and fertilization management","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-02-24 17:34:53","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8667859/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2026-04-03T17:45:51+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-19T18:36:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"Plant and Soil","date":"2026-02-11T02:12:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-02-11T01:08:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Plant and Soil","date":"2026-02-09T04:43:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"plant-and-soil","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"plso","sideBox":"Learn more about [Plant and Soil](https://www.springer.com/journal/11104)","snPcode":"11104","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11104/3","title":"Plant and Soil","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"91020343-6f0d-430f-8a07-01290fc57f14","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 24th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-24T17:34:53+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-24 17:34:53","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8667859","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8667859","identity":"rs-8667859","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}