Oxygen as an Enviromnental Factor in Influencing Normal Morphogenetic Development in Germinating Rice Seedlings

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Abstract
Rice seedlings germinated in the dark in O2-deficient and normal air environments manifest dimorphism and are designated here as d− and d+ plants. Both d− and d+ seedlings lack chlorophyll but the d− plants are stark-white whereas the d+ plants are yellow or yellow-green in appearance. Rice seedlings germinated in the light under O2 deficiency also lack chlorophyll and manifest the same developmental characteristics as the d− dark-germinated seedlings. Thus, in an O2-deficient environment, light-germinated rice seedlings behave as though they were germinated in the dark under O2 deficiency. Exposure of the dark-germinated d− and d+ seedlings and the light-germinated d− seedlings to normal air in the light brings about chlorophyll formation and normal morphogenetic development in all three types of germinating seedlings. Thus O2 exerts a critical influence on the response of germinating rice seedlings to light energy with respect to their normal morphogenetic development.