An Eco-benign Seed Treatment Strategy for Rosehips Using Deep Eutectic Solvents

Conventional seed treatment strategies such as acid treatments and agro-based chemicals usage for germination are costly and corrosive in nature, which leads to leaching of soil and the chemicals that reach water sources, causing eutrophication, reduction in soil fertility and alteration in the pH of soil. Deep eutectic solvent (DES) is a class of eco-friendly solvent, which is environment-friendly, biodegradable and has milder treatment conditions. DES is used for the removal of lignin from biomass containing lignocellulose as it cleaves the lignin–carbohydrate complex and extracts lignin. In our study, we attempted to use DES as seed treatment for germination as seed pericarp is also composed of lignin. We used rosehip seeds, which contain 40–60% lignin and treated them with DES (choline chloride:urea). After treatment, we observed significant delignification in the seeds, which may lead to improved germination. In addition, the efficacy of DES treatment on rosehip seed was examined via various analytical techniques such as XRD, SEM and FTIR.