Abscisic acid and osmotic stress or slow drying independently induce desiccation tolerance in mutant seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract
Action of endogenous abscisic acid (ABA) is absent in the ABA‐deficient and ‐insensitive double mutant (aba‐1abi3–1) seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana. Thus, responses to osmotic stress and dehydration can be studied without interference of endogenous ABA. Seeds of this double mutunt are viable hut desiceation‐intolerant. However, desiccation tolerance can he induced by either (1) slow dehydration of immature seeds; (2) treatment of immature seeds with osmotica or; (31 due to the leakiness of the ABA‐insensitivty mutation, by application of exogenous ABA. Consequently it is concluded that either ABA or osmotic‐ or dehydration‐stress and related gene expression meets the minimal requirements for acquisition of desiccation tolerance in seeds of Arabidopsis thalianna.