Non-Decarboxylating transformation of indol-3-ylacetic acid in apple seeds

An enzyme extract from apple(Pyrus malus Borb.) seeds which causes the disappearance of free indol-3-ylacetic acid (IAA) requires the presence of oxygen, but is not inhibited by cyanide. Using 1-¹⁴C-IAA it has been demonstrated that the IAA transformation is not accompanied by its decarboxylation. Decarboxylating IAA oxidase is absent during the whole period of apple seed cold stratification. Free IAA has not been detected in dormant apple seeds and in seeds stratified at low temperature. It appears during stratification at 25 °C. Ethyl ester of IAA and indol-3-ylacetyl aspartate have been identified in dormant and after-ripened seeds. Exogenous 1-¹⁴C IAA taken up by apple embryos is converted into conjugates with aspartate and short peptides containing an aspartate moiety.     

Effect of Temperature Regimes on Germination of Dimorphic Seeds of Atriplex prostrata

Dimorphic seeds of Atriplex prostrata were removed from cold dry storage monthly over a one year period to test for fluctuations in seed dormancy and germination rate. For each seed type, four replicates of 25 seeds were exposed to four alternating night/day temperature regimes mimicking seasonal fluctuations in Ohio: 5/15 °C; 5/25 °C; 15/25 °C and 20/35 °C with a corresponding 12-h photoperiod (20 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹; 400 – 700 nm). We found a significant three-way interaction of seed size, temperature and month for both percent germination and the rate of germination. Large seeds showed the greatest germination at the 20/35 °C and 5/25 °C temperature regimes and small seeds at the 5/25 °C regime. Large seeds had greater germination at all temperatures as compared to small seeds. Large seeds had the fastest germination rates at 20/35 °C followed by 5/25 °C whereas small seeds had the fastest rates at 5/25 °C followed by 20/35 °C. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Periodicity of bud bursting in willow (Salix viminalis) as affected by growth regulators

Saunders, P. F. and Barros, R. S. 1987. Periodicity of bud bursting in willow ( Salix viminalis ) as affected by growth regulators.
Lateral vegetative buds of willow ( Salix viminalis L.) were only innately dormant for 3–5 weeks in October; during this time their apices were correlatively inhibited by the bud leaflets. Exogenous gibberellins stimulated the opening of cultured buds when the plants were dormant or entering dormancy. As dormancy was being released, however, cultured buds became more responsive to exogenous cytokinins. Thus the demand for gibberellins and cytokinins for bud opening seemed to be sequential rather than simultaneous. Dormant buds cultured in the presence of abscisic acid remained unopened, but they opened after a chilling treatment. Subsequent growth of such buds as measured by dry matter accumulation, was observed only if a cytokinin was added to the medium.     

Germination traits and seed-bank dynamics of a biennial plant,Oenothera glazioviana Micheli

A study was conducted on the germination traits and seed-bank dynamics ofOenothera glazioviana (=O. erythrosepala), which sets seed in August in sand-dune systems in Japan. More than 90% of freshly matured seeds germinated over a wide range of temperature in light, but less than 10% did so in continuous darkness. Stratification (chilling under moist conditions) was ineffective in diminishing the light-requirement for germination. When fresh seeds were imbibed for 24 h including a 12-h light period, followed by 7-day air-drying, 94% of them became germinable in the dark at 25°C, but remained dormant at less than 15°C. of seeds collected in March from capsules of dead plants, 58% germinated in the dark at 25°C. After four cycles of alternatc 1-day wetting followed by 2-day drying or 1.5-day wetting followed by 1.5-day drying under a 12-h photoperiod, the fraction of viable seeds declined from 76% to 40% and 22%, respectively, due to germination during the wet periods. Seed-bag experiments were conducted in the field, using seeds given and not given a light-stimulus. Forty percent of the light-stimulated seeds germinated in the soil, whereas the seeds without a light-stimulus remained dormant throughout the experiment. When seeds were placed on the soil surface or at a depth of 0.5-1 cm, the proportion of germinable seeds declined during late spring and autumn, but not during winter and early spring. The seed-bank size of a natural population just prior to current seed dispersal was 2–3% of the seed production in the previous year, suggesting a high turnover rate of the seed-bank.     

Responses of seed of Stylosanthes humilis to germination regulators

Seed of Stlosanthes humilis both have hard integuments and display physiological dormancy, the latter being lost during post-harvest ageing. Ethrel and l-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) partially released scarified young seed from physiological dormancy. Cobalt and silver ions and abscisic acid inhibited germination of scarified non-dormant seed. Abscisic acid also inhibited germination of voung seed promoted by ACC. Thiourea and ethrel plus benzyladenine showed the greatest efficacy in breaking seed dormancy.     

种子休眠与破眠机理研究进展

种子休眠机理主要围绕透性、抑制剂作用和光敏素转化等方面的研究而建立。种皮的阻碍作用可能是由于种皮的物理或化学特性引起．可导致对水、光、气体或溶质的透性改变。抑制剂作用机理是抑制物质可抵消促进细胞分裂和生长发育的激素的作用。光敏素转化机理来源于与休眠有关的生物活性化学物质的合成、活化或破坏受光诱导的观点,由于发现了光敏素蓝色蛋白的活化型（Pfr）和钝化型（Pr）而得到强有力的支持,种子光休眠取决于光敏素蓝色蛋白的活化型（Pfr）含量和Pfr／（Pr＋Pfr）比值。目前,打破休眠的方法一般有机械破皮法、激素处理法、分子生物学技术法、物理处理法（如激光、烟、热等处理技术）、CO2处理法等。激素的平衡由抑制剂占优势向促进物占优势的变化是打破休眠的决定因素。研究破眠机理的分子生物学技术有多种,包括ABA突变体的利用、分子标记、转基因技术、用反义RAN阻止基因的表达、cDNA克隆技术等。用激光照射种子,把适宜的光射入细胞,可增加细胞生物能,促进种子发育,从而可能打破休眠。热处理的机理是由于加热可以增加种皮的透气性。CO2之所以能提高某些物种的萌发率,在于其影响了种子内部乙烯的敏感性。     

南川升麻种子休眠与萌发的研究

南川升麻（ＣｉｍｉｃｉｆｕｇａｎａｎｃｈｕａｎｅｎｓｉｓＨｓｉａｏ）的种子自然脱落时尚处于球形胚发育阶段,需要长时间的越冬过程才能完成胚的后熟。室内采用低温湿润或不同浓度的ＧＡ３处理,可以不同程度地加快其胚的后熟过程。休眠种子用０．１ｇ／ＬＧＡ３处理１周后,在低温（１～５℃）湿润条件下存放约９０ｄ,萌发率可达到７０％以上。     

不同处理方法对油楠成熟和过熟种子萌发特性的影响

为破除油楠(Sindora glabra Merr.ex de Wit)种子的物理休眠,研究不同处理方法对油楠种子萌发特性的影响。结果表明,所有处理方法对油楠成熟和过熟种子萌发均产生显著影响。40℃热水和50 mgL~(-1)萘乙酸有利于成熟种子的萌发,发芽率超过55%,较对照显著提高约10%,而其他方法处理的成熟种子发芽率为4.0%~46.0%,低于对照。采用98%浓硫酸浸泡25 min最有利于过熟种子的萌发,其发芽率、发芽势和发芽指数分别较对照显著提高90%、76%和7以上,且发芽时间显著缩短了9 d,对过熟种子处理的其他方法均能不同程度地促进萌发。因此,对于成熟种子,推荐采用低温热水浸泡或弱腐蚀性的化学处理;而对于过熟种子,宜采用浓硫酸浸泡25 min的处理。     

The control of bud dormancy in potato tubers. Measurement of the seasonal pattern of changing concentrations of zeatin-cytokinins

A radioimmunoassay, combined with high-performance liquid chromatography, has been used to analyse the zeatin-type cytokinins of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Majestic) tubers and tuber buds throughout growth and storage. During tuber growth, zeatin riboside was the predominant cytokinin detected in all tissues. Immediately after harvest, the total cytokinin concentration fell dramatically in the storage tissue, largely as a consequence of the disappearance of zeatin riboside. During storage, levels of cytokinins in the storage tissue remained relatively constant, but increased in the tuber buds. In the buds of tubers stored at 2°C there was a 20-to 50-fold increase in total cytokinin over six weeks, coinciding with the natural break of innate dormancy. At 10°C the rise in the level of bud cytokinins was slower, correlating with the longer duration of innate dormancy. Injecting unlabelled cytokinins into tubers in amounts known to induce sprouting gave rise to increases in cytokinin concentrations in the buds of the same order as the increase associated with the natural break of dormancy. Metabolism of injected cytokinins was greater in non-dormant than in dormant tubers. The roles of cytokinin concentration and the sensitivity of the buds to cytokinin in the control of dormancy are discussed.Abbreviations CK cytokinin - FW fresh weight - HPLC high-performance liquid chromatography - RIA radioimmunoassay - tio⁶ade 6-(4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-trans-2-enylamino)-purine=zeatin - tio⁶adeglc⁹ 6-(4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-trans-2-enylamino)-9--D-glucopyranosyl purine=zeatin-9-glucoside - tio⁶ado 6-(4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-trans-2-enylamino)-9--D-ribofuranosyl purine=zeatin riboside - tio⁶ado-[³H]-diol a radioactive derivative of zeatin riboside, synthesised by periodate-oxidation followed by [³H]NaBH₄-reduction - tio⁶AMP 6-(4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-trans-2-enylamino)-9--D-5-phosphoribofuranosyl purine=zeatin riboside 5-monophosphate - t(ioglc⁴)⁶ade 6-(4-O--D-glucopyranosyl-3-methylbut-trans-2-enylamino)-purine=zeatin-O-glucoside