Phenotypic plasticity has been studied in diaspore-dimorphic species, but no such study has been done on a diaspore-polymorphic species. Our aim was to determine the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on phenotypic plasticity of the diaspore-polymorphic cold desert annual Ceratocarpus arenarius. Plants produced from dispersal units near the soil surface (a, basicarps) and at the middle (c) and upper (f) parts of the plant canopy were subjected to different levels of soil moisture, nutrient supply and intramorph and intermorph densities. Different levels of these biotic and abiotic factors resulted in significant variation in total plant mass, diaspore mass, mass allocation to stem and reproductive organs and total number and proportion of morphs a, c and f on an individual. The effect of stress on number and mass of a dispersal unit morph varied by treatment, with dispersal unit f having the highest CV and dispersal unit a the lowest. The success of this diaspore polymorphic species in its rainfall-unpredictable environment likely is enhanced by plasticity in production of the different types of diaspores.

Seed germination is severely constrained by soil salinity, limiting crop establishment in salt-affected agricultural lands. This study investigated whether seed priming with molybdenum nanoparticles (Mo NPs) enhances germination and early seedling growth of kale ( Brassica oleracea var. acephala ) under NaCl stress compared with conventional bulk molybdate treatment. Seeds were primed with 100 mg L ^- ¹ Mo NPs or bulk Na ₂ MoO ₄ for 12 h, then germinated under 150 mM NaCl for 3 days. Physiological markers were measured at 24 and 72 h, while untargeted metabolomics was performed on 3-day-old radicles. Seedling performance was evaluated after 10 days of 150 mM NaCl in hydroponics. Salinity reduced germination by 45% and radicle fresh weight by 49.6% compared with control. Mo NPs priming increased germination by 18.8% and radicle fresh weight by 74.8% under salinity relative to bulk Mo treatment. Mo NPs -primed seeds maintained higher GA and melatonin contents, reduced ABA accumulation, and exhibited enhanced POD activity at 24 h. Metabolomics revealed sustained starch degradation (maltose, glucose-6-phosphate), TCA cycle intermediates (malate, isocitrate), and reduced GSSG/GSH ratio in Mo NPs +NaCl compared with NaCl alone. Proline accumulation shifted from suppression at 24 h to elevation at 72 h in Mo NPs-treated seeds. Seedlings from Mo NPs-primed seeds maintained higher shoot biomass, chlorophyll content, and photosystem II efficiency under prolonged salinity. We conclude that Mo NPs priming outperforms bulk molybdate by coordinating early antioxidant defense, hormonal balance, reserve mobilization, and metabolic flexibility, enabling kale seeds to overcome the salinity-induced germination reduction.