Stabilized Dormancy in Sugarbeet Fruits. I. Seed Coats as a Physicochemical Barrier to Oxygen

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Naked seeds removed from dormant sugarbeet fruits gave 93% germination on moistened filter paper in petri dishes while entire fruits gave only 25% germination at any period of the year. Water retention by cotton wool underneath the filter paper diminished the film of water covering the fruits, resulting in better germination. Removing the operculum and placing the fruits with the basal pore downward also yielded better germination. During imbibition, gas adsorbed by the fruit wall was rapidly released, after which gas reabsorption occurred. The operculum accounted for 62% of the gas absorption. The sugarbeet fruit wall was compared with a solution of phenolics which, by absorbing O2, acted as a physicochemical O2 barrier for the embryo.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: