Seasonal regulation of trait hardseededness in mungbean (Vigna radiata L.): crop-environment relations, biochemical shifts, and genotype-by-environment interaction
摘要
Hardseededness or physical dormancy (PY), is a prevalent form of dormancy in mungbean that adversely affects crop establishment, prolongs cooking time, and complicates seed testing. However, it protects the matured seed from in–situ germination and is advantageous for survival in wild ecosystems. The study evaluated 108 mungbean genotypes grown during the rainy and summer seasons over two years to evaluate the response of genotype and environment in regulation of this trait. Hardseededness was markedly higher in the rainy seasons (24.2–43.2%), likely due to moderate temperature, higher relative humidity, rainfall during the reproductive stage, with extended reproductive period that created conditions favourable for seed hardening. Conversely, higher temperatures combined with low relative humidity during seed development and maturation in the summer season reduced hardseededness (6.4–6.7%). Combined analysis of variance revealed that season contributed the largest share of variation (57.7%), followed by genotype (12.4%) and the genotype × season interaction (7.9%), indicating strong environmental control over the trait. “Which Won Where” analysis from the GGE biplot identified three mega–environments: ME–I (rainy 2020), ME–II (rainy 2021) and ME–III (summer 2020 and 2021), reflecting both seasonal and annual variation in genotypic responses. Seasonal shifts in seed metabolite composition (gallic acid, 2,5–dihydroxybenzoic acid, syringic acid) provided complementary evidence of biochemical regulation underlying hardseededness. Notably, Soptari and ML 818 consistently exhibited high and stable hardseededness, while EC 398413 and IPM 99–125 maintained low and stable levels across environments. Overall, the results underscore the dominant role of seasonal conditions and genotype in shaping hardseededness, offering opportunities to strategically manage this trait for specific breeding objectives and production environments.