| Abstract: | The biological effects during seed germination were investigated after the dry seeds of Stevia rebaudianum Bertoni were implanted with carbon ion beam of 75 keV and 10 14 ions/cm 2. The results showed that the germination rate of carbon ion implanted seeds was slightly higher than that of the control, but the survival rate of the treated seedlings, on the contrary, was lower than that of the control (P <0.02), while the height of the treated seedlings was significantly higher than that of the control (P <0.01). On the 4th day after germination, the leaf cell wall in the treated group was thick, some high electron-dense substance deposited in the enlarged plasmodesma; Cell membrane reased with high electron-dense granules deposited on it. The plasma membrane protruded towards cell wall, and the granules shifted via plasmodesma or deposited onto cell wall. These phenomena may be related to the conveyance of implanted ions across cell wall, or be related to the accumulation of callose. In addition, the implantation of carbon ions could increase the lamellae of the chloroplast and cause high development of the chloroplast which sometimes contained two plastid centers in an individual chloroplast. Also, the highly developed cristae, abundant mitochondria and typical crystalloid structure in microbody could be found. All these results indicated that the anabolic and catabolic activities in the seedlings implanted with carbon ions before germination were obviously more active than those in the controls. |
