Effects of pressure on germination of seeds of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Barqai) in saline and in non-saline media

The effects of an increase in the absolute environmental pressure (air, N₂, O₂ or hydrostatic), up to 1 MPa, on the germination of wheat seeds and the survival of wheat seedlings were studied. Seeds were exposed to saline and non-saline media, in Petri dishes, on a double layer of filter paper. They were then introduced for different time periods into a pressure chamber and pressurized by the addition of N₂ to the chamber in the range of ambient to 1 MPa. Subsequently the seeds were left to germinate under normal atmospheric conditions. Seed germination and subsequent growth decreased during the first 6 h and then regained the control levels. Nevertheless, application of similar pressures to seeds which had been submerged under water was highly inhibitory. Such effects of pressure seem to be the result of flooding with water of some crucial intercellular spaces and a consequent disturbance of O₂ supply to the germinating embryo. The additional flood-water comprised only 1–3% of the total water content of 24-h-old seedlings. Sensitivity of the submerged seeds and the germinating seedlings to pressure varied with age and developmental stage. Highest sensitivity to pressure was obtained with 12 to 72-h-old submerged seedlings. Removal of the excess water after the pressure treatment restored the germinability of the seeds.