Changes in the Distribution of Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium and Phosphorus during Growth of Cucurbita Seedlings

Ockenden, I. and Lott, J. N. A. 1988. Changes in the distributionof magnesium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus during growthof Cucurbita seedlings—J. exp. Bot. 39: 973–980. Etiolated seedlings of Cucurbita maxima cv. Warted Hubbard andCucurbita andreana, grown in distilled water, showed considerablegrowth. However, only a small percentage of the minerals storedin the large cotyledons was mobilized to the root-shoot axisof the etiolated seedlings. The proportion of minerals removedfrom the cotyledons to the root-shoot axis was about two-timeshigher in C. andreana than in C. maxima. When the seedlingswere grown in distilled water in the presence of light, thepercentage of cotyledon mineral content that was mobilized waslower than the amount mobilized during growth in the dark. Cotyledonsof light-grown seedlings that were given adequate nutrients,took up minerals from the medium. These fully-expanded and photosyntheticcotyledons had slightly more P and Mg than did the cotyledonsof the dry embryos but had increased their K content 5-foldand their Ca content 50-fold. Key words: Cucurbita, minerals, seeds, seedings, NAA