3. Genetic conservation in seed banks

The safest and most economical and convenient way of preserving the genetic resources of the majority of crop plants is by long-term seed storage. The technology is well developed, but recent research resulting from a greater understanding of behaviour at very low water potentials is leading to further improvements     

β-Glucosidase activities and HCN liberation in unimbibed and imbibed seeds, and the induction of cocklebur seed germination by cyanogenic glycosides

In many seed species, the major source of HCN evolved during water imbibition is cyanogenic glycosides. The present investigation was performed to elucidate the role of endogenous cyanogenic glycosides in the control of seed germination and to examine the involvment of β-glucosidase in this process. All seed species used here contained some activities of β-glucosidase already in the dry state before imbibition. in the decreasing order of Malus pumila, Daucus carota, Hordeum vulgare, Chenopodium album and so on. β-Gluosidase activity in upper and lower seeds of cocklebur (Xanthium pennsylvanicum Wallr.) decreased with imbibition, and in lower seeds the activity disappeared when they germinated. On the contrary, in caryopses of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. Sasanishiki) β-glucosidase increased during imbibition, and this increase continued even after germination. β-Glucosidase in cocklebur seeds was more active in the axial than in the cotyledonary tissue. Amygdalin, prunasin and linamarin could all serve as substrattes for the β-glucosidase(s) from both cocklebur and rice. Amygdalin, prunasin and linamarin as well as KCN, were effective in stimulating the germination of upper cocklebur seeds. The seeds evolved much more free HCN gas when they were exposed to the cyanogenic glycosides than when the glycosides were absent. Moreover, the application of the cyanogenic glycosides or of KCN caused accumulation of bound HCN in the seeds. Carbon monoxide, which stimulated cocklebur seed germination only slightly, did not cause accumulation of bound HCN. We suggest that a balance between the cytochrome and the alternative respiration pathways, which is adequate for germination (Esashi et al. 1987. Plant Cell Physiol. 28: 141–150), may be brought about by the action of endogenous HCN; a large portion of which is liberated from cyanogenic glycosides via the action of β-glucosidase. In addition to the partial suppression of the cytochrome path and unlike carbon monoxide, the HCN thus produced may act to supply cyanide group(s) to unknown compounds necessary for germination.     

Stimulation of weed seed germination by 1–(3-chlorophthalirnido) cyclohexanecarboxamide (AC 94377)

The N-substituted phthalimide, AC 94377, promoted the germination of dry-stored seeds of 17 out of 24 weed species in Petri-dish tests maintained at 22°C. In a further test it was able to substitute for light and/or alternating temperatures in promoting the germination of some species. AC 94377 was more active than GA, in stimulating Solanum nigrum seed to germinate. When mixed with soil in the laboratory, AC 94377 again promoted germination of S. nigrum but the level and persistence of activity differed between soils. In the glasshouse, with soil containing a natural weed seed population, more seedlings emerged from treated than from untreated soil but this number represented fewer than half of the apparently viable seeds present. Field applications of AC 94377 promoted the germination of hand-sown seeds of certain weed species but did not increase the number of seedlings emerging from the natural weed seed bank.     

Seasonal differences in mineral content, distribution and leakage of sweet pepper seeds

Pepper seed quality is sensitive to variations in climatic conditions during seed development, which might be associated with accumulation, distribution and leakage of mineral elements from the seeds. This was examined in hybrid seeds of sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum L. cv.‘Hazera’ 1195) in two experiments during two growing seasons. The mean daily temperature (day/night) and daily total radiation receipt during seed development were 27.9/23.2°C and 8.63 kW m^?2 in the summer and 18.3/ 14.9°C and 3.18 kW m^?2 in the winter, respectively. Seeds developed in the summer had lower percentage of seedling emergence and leaked a larger portion (45%) of their K content into the water medium than in winter‐developed seeds. Summer seeds accumulated more K and Cl, but less P, Mg, Ca and the weight ratio of linoleic acid to oleic acid was lower than in the winter seeds. The season did not significantly affect N, S and total fatty acids. The most abundant element on the seed coat surface was K in the summer and Ca in the winter seeds. The cotyledon and endosperm of the summer seeds contained relatively higher ratios of K and Ca and lower ratios of P and Mg than the winter seeds. Transportation of mineral nutrients appeared to be involved in the effect of heat and moisture stresses on emergence quality of the pepper seeds.     

Roosting Requirements of Two Frugivorous Bats (Sturnira lilium and Arbiteus intermedius) in Fragmented Neotropical Forest1

As tropical forest fragmentation accelerates, scientists are concerned with the loss of species, particularly those that play important ecological roles. Because bats play a vital role as the primary seed dispersers in cleared areas, maintaining healthy bat populations is critical to natural forest regeneration. Observations of foraging bats suggest that many Neotropical fruit‐eating species have fairly general habitat requirements and can forage in many different kinds of disturbed vegetation; however, their roosting requirements may be quite different. To test whether or not general foraging requirements are matched by equally broad roosting requirements, we used radiotelemetry to locate roost sites of two common frugivorous bat species (Sturnira lilium and Artibeus intermedius) in a fragmented forest in southeastern Mexico. Sturnira lilium roosted inside tree cavities and selected large‐diameter roost trees in remnant patches of mature forest. Fewer than 2 percent of trees surveyed had a mean diameter equal to or greater than roost trees used by . S. lilium, Artibeus intermedius roosted externally on branches and vines and under palm leaves and selected roost trees of much smaller diameter. Compared to random trees, roost trees chosen by A. intermedius were closer to neighboring taller trees and also closer in height to these trees. Such trees likely provide cryptic roosts beneath multiple overlapping crowns, with sufficient shelter from predators and the elements. While males of A. intermedius generally roosted alone in small trees within secondary forest, females roosted in small groups in larger trees within mature forest and commuted more than three times farther than males to reach their roost sites. Loss of mature forest could impair the ability of frugivorous bats to locate suitable roost sites. This could have a negative impact on bat populations, which in turn could decrease forest regeneration in impacted areas.     

内源脱落酸和赤霉素对番茄发育果实和种子水分关系的影响

利用热偶湿度计（ｔｈｅｒｍｏｃｏｕｐｌｅｐｓｙｃｈｒｏｍｅｔｅｒ）研究了野生型、ＧＡ－缺陷型和ＡＢＡ－缺陷型番茄发育过程中果实种子的水分关系,发现除ＡＢＡ－缺陷型种子胶囊和果肉水势变化特殊外,３种类型果实水分状况变化基本一致;在整个发育时期内．前期种子胶囊和果肉水分流向种子,中期种子水分流向种子胶囊和果肉,后期种子和果实间的水势达到平衡。鉴于种胚脱水是一种主动过程,种胚水势一直低于整个种子、种子胶囊和果肉。内源赤霉素可明显增加果实和种子的重量,但对增加种胚溶质的作用不大。由于内源脱落酸可以促使果实成熟和衰老,促进果实细胞解体,大大降低种子胶囊和果肉水势,因而抑制成熟种子在果实内萌发。     

海甘蓝种子成熟过程中脂肪酸含量以及脱落酸和山梨醇的效应

海甘蓝种子在成熟过程中,棕榈酸、硬脂酸和亚麻酸的含量不断下降,而二十碳烯酸和芥酸的含量呈上升趋势。选用开花后２５～２７ｄ的海甘蓝幼胚分别在含不同浓度的ＡＢＡ或高渗透剂的培养基中培养１～３ｄ,发现其各种脂肪酸的变化趋势和种子自然成熟过程中脂肪酸的变化相似,说明ＡＢＡ或高渗透剂可能是种子成熟过程中各种脂肪酸合成和相互转化所需的条件。     

促进檀香种子发芽技术的研究

本文讨论了破除檀香种子休眠,提高发芽率和整齐度,缩短发芽期的方法,采用多因子试验,发现用１０００ｍｇ／ＬＧＡ处理檀香种子,播后一个月发芽率可高达８０％左右,有效地解决了檀香种子发芽期长,发芽不整齐和发芽率低的问题。