Optimization of Seed Germination in Snow Lotus (Saussurea involucrate): Synergistic Effects of PEG-GA 3 -IBA Treatments and Peat-Vermiculite Substrates

Optimization of Seed Germination in Snow Lotus (Saussurea involucrate): Synergistic Effects of PEG-GA 3 -IBA Treatments and Peat-Vermiculite Substrates | 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 Optimization of Seed Germination in Snow Lotus (Saussurea involucrate): Synergistic Effects of PEG-GA 3 -IBA Treatments and Peat-Vermiculite Substrates Zeyi Luo, Shengjun Ma, Bingbing Sun, Xinjie Zhang, Song Jiang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6339962/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Saussurea involucrata ( S. involucrata ), a rare medicinal plant of the Asteraceae family, primarily grows in high-altitude cliffs (∼3000 m) in Xinjiang, China. Its dried aerial parts exhibit pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects. However, wild populations have sharply declined due to environmental changes and human activities, leading to its classification as a nationally protected species (Class II). Artificial cultivation is critical for conservation, but challenges persist: seeds exhibit strong dormancy, low viability, and a short lifespan, coupled with strict environmental requirements (e.g., altitude, temperature), resulting in poor germination rates (< 10%). Previous studies focused on single-factor interventions (e.g., gibberellic acid (GA 3 )) or substrate optimization but neglected synergistic effects and comprehensive protocols. This study innovatively combines polyethylene glycol (PEG), GA 3 , and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatments with peat-vermiculite substrates, aiming to establish an optimized protocol for enhancing seed germination and seedling resilience, thereby supporting scalable cultivation. Results Compared with those of the control group, the germination potential increased by 34.1%, the germination rate improved by 26.6%, the germination index rose by 26.67%, the vigor index increased by 94.7%, the length of the roots increased by 257.4%, the activities of three antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT) increased, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased. Conclusions When a 50% peat soil + 50% vermiculite substrate was used and seeds were soaked with a combination of 25 g/L PEG 4000, 150 mg/L GA 3 , and 10 mg/L IBA, S. involucrata seeds presented optimal comprehensive performance in terms of seed vigor indices and physiological indicators. Under these conditions, the seeds presented greater germination capacity, improved growth potential, and greater stress tolerance. These experimental results provide technical references for the artificial cultivation of S. involucrata seeds. Saussurea involucrata Seed germination Pot experiment Chemical treatment Cultivation substrate Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted 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-6339962","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":452849903,"identity":"c57c77c2-4250-4549-b1d0-7df192b42896","order_by":0,"name":"Zeyi Luo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Food and Pharmaceutical Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, China","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zeyi","middleName":"","lastName":"Luo","suffix":""},{"id":452849904,"identity":"2e45eb44-09d4-4d53-aee1-5a67470e7efd","order_by":1,"name":"Shengjun 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19:08:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6339962/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6339962/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":90521995,"identity":"2e327ac8-2406-4284-9643-cb3b98d1b676","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-03 15:53:39","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":827624,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Revisedmanuscript3.0.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6339962/v1_covered_a1e39df9-e2c9-4efe-ba23-2ea9786e8490.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Optimization of Seed Germination in Snow Lotus (Saussurea involucrate): Synergistic Effects of PEG-GA 3 -IBA Treatments and Peat-Vermiculite Substrates","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"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":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Saussurea involucrata, Seed germination, Pot experiment, Chemical treatment, Cultivation substrate","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6339962/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6339962/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cem\u003eSaussurea involucrata\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eS. involucrata\u003c/em\u003e), a rare medicinal plant of the Asteraceae family, primarily grows in high-altitude cliffs (\u0026sim;3000 m) in Xinjiang, China. Its dried aerial parts exhibit pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects. However, wild populations have sharply declined due to environmental changes and human activities, leading to its classification as a nationally protected species (Class II). Artificial cultivation is critical for conservation, but challenges persist: seeds exhibit strong dormancy, low viability, and a short lifespan, coupled with strict environmental requirements (e.g., altitude, temperature), resulting in poor germination rates (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;10%). Previous studies focused on single-factor interventions (e.g., gibberellic acid (GA\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)) or substrate optimization but neglected synergistic effects and comprehensive protocols. This study innovatively combines polyethylene glycol (PEG), GA\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) treatments with peat-vermiculite substrates, aiming to establish an optimized protocol for enhancing seed germination and seedling resilience, thereby supporting scalable cultivation.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompared with those of the control group, the germination potential increased by 34.1%, the germination rate improved by 26.6%, the germination index rose by 26.67%, the vigor index increased by 94.7%, the length of the roots increased by 257.4%, the activities of three antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT) increased, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen a 50% peat soil\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;50% vermiculite substrate was used and seeds were soaked with a combination of 25 g/L PEG 4000, 150 mg/L GA\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, and 10 mg/L IBA, \u003cem\u003eS. involucrata\u003c/em\u003e seeds presented optimal comprehensive performance in terms of seed vigor indices and physiological indicators. Under these conditions, the seeds presented greater germination capacity, improved growth potential, and greater stress tolerance. These experimental results provide technical references for the artificial cultivation of \u003cem\u003eS. involucrata\u003c/em\u003e seeds.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Optimization of Seed Germination in Snow Lotus (Saussurea involucrate): Synergistic Effects of PEG-GA 3 -IBA Treatments and Peat-Vermiculite Substrates","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-11 14:20:27","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6339962/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"db4f0db8-0c3c-4626-b902-30aa6132d2a1","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 11th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-09-03T15:53:15+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-11 14:20:27","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6339962","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6339962","identity":"rs-6339962","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}