Tocopherols and antioxidants assay to understand the mechanism of soybean seed longevity

Soybean, an important oilseed crop of India, is rich in protein, oil, vitamins, isoflavones and minerals. Being an oilseed crop and the inherent physiological and biochemical properties, soybean seeds looses itsviability andvigour rapidly during storage, resultinginto poor stand establishment and productivity, upon subsequent planting. The current study aimed to understand the mechanism of antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes in soybean seed longevity.

Ten good storer and ten poor storer, identified after storing for 8 months in ambient laboratory condition, were phenotyped biochemically to understand the mechanism of antioxidants [tocopherols (4 isomers) and isoflavones (12 isomers)] and antioxidant enzymes [catalase (CAT), peroxidise (POX), superoxidedismutase (SOD) and glutathione reductase (GR)]in seed longevity.

Good and poor storer genotypes recorded a mean initial germination of 99 and 96%, decreased to 91 and 67%, respectively upon eight months of laboratory ambient storage. Significant differences were observed in the activities of SOD, CAT, GR, alpha (α- T) and delta (σ-T) tocopherol between good and poor storer genotypes. Isomers of tocopherols ie. α-T and σ-T were found to beeither negatively (r= -0.55) or positively (r= 0.60) associated with seed longevity, indicated the role of individual tocopherol isomer than those to total tocopherols in seed longevity.