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Cellular and metabolic damage induced by desiccation in recalcitrant Araucaria angustifolia embryos

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

L. Salmen Espindola ,
M. Noin ,
F. Corbineau  and
D. Côme
L. Salmen Espindola
Affiliation:
Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Physiologie Vegetale Appliquee, Tour 53, 1er etage, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
M. Noin
Affiliation:
Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Cytologie Experimentale et Morphogenèse Vegetale, Bat N2, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
F. Corbineau
Affiliation:
Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Physiologie Vegetale Appliquee, Tour 53, 1er etage, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
D. Côme*
Affiliation:
Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Laboratoire de Physiologie Vegetale Appliquee, Tour 53, 1er etage, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
*
* Correspondence
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Abstract

Embryos of Araucaria angustifolia seeds showed no dormancy; they germinated easily at temperatures ranging from 10° to 30°C, and the thermal optimum was about 25–30°C; they were recalcitrant. At harvest, their mean moisture content (dry weight basis) was about 120% and they completely lost viability when their moisture content fell to about 30%. The cotyledons were more sensitive to dehydration than the radicle. Dehydration induced deterioration of cell membranes as indicated by a high increase in leakage of solutes. It also resulted in damage in the nuclei, which was not repaired upon rehydration. During desiccation, respiratory activity decreased; however, O2 uptake was not an indication of germination ability, since it was significantly affected only when embryo moisture content reached the critical value of 30%. The decrease in the capacity to convert 1-aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid to ethylene, which was observed at 30–60 min of dehydration, was a very early indicator of deterioration in embryos. Desiccation resulted also in a rapid decrease in the ability for protein synthesis as measured by [35S]methionine incorporation into total protein; 50% inhibition was observed after 30–60 min of desiccation for both axis and cotyledons.

Keywords

recalcitrant seedgerminationAraucaria angustifoliadesiccation sensitivityrespiratory activityethyleneprotein synthesis
Type
Short Communication
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , June 1994 , pp. 193 - 201
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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