Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T10:04:31.675Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Development of desiccation tolerance in Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) seeds during maturation drying

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

T. D. Hong
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, University of Reading, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading RG6 2AT, UK
R. H. Ellis*
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, University of Reading, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading RG6 2AT, UK
*
* Correspondence

Abstract

Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) seeds were harvested at different stages of seed development and maturation in 1989–91. As maturation drying progressed, the seed populations showed increasing desiccation tolerance: at 67–69% moisture content, no seeds survived desiccation below 10% moisture content; maturation drying to 55–57% moisture content (values corresponding with the end of the seed-filling phase) improved desiccation tolerance, but nevertheless most seeds were unable to withstand desiccation to 5–7% moisture content; further maturation drying to 27–28% moisture content enabled the seeds to survive considerable desiccation, no loss in viability occurring in seeds dried to 3% moisture content. This considerable improvement in desiccation tolerance after the end of the seed-filling phase was correlated (P<0.05) with the progress of maturation drying and may be associated with the increase in the potential longevity of seeds of other species that occurs during seed development subsequent to seed filling.

Type
Short Communication
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Dasgupta, J., Bewley, J.D. and Yeung, E.C. (1982) Desiccation-tolerant and desiccation-intolerant stages during the development and germination of Phaseolus vulgaris seeds. Journal of Experimental Botany 33, 10451057.Google Scholar
Demir, I. and Ellis, R.H. (1992) Changes in seed quality during seed development and maturation in tomato. Seed Science Research 2, 8187.Google Scholar
Dickie, J.B., May, K., Morris, S.V.A. and Titley, S.E. (1991) The effects of desiccation on seed survival in Acer platanoides L. and Acer pseudoplatanus L. Seed Science Research 1, 149162.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H. and Pieta Filho, C. (1992) The development of seed quality in spring and winter cultivars of barley and wheat. Seed Science Research 2, 915.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1986) Logarithmic relationship between moisture content and longevity in sesame seeds. Annals of Botany 57, 499503.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1989) A comparison of the low-moisture-content limit to the logarithmic relation between seed moisture and longevity in twelve species. Annals of Botany 63, 601611.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D., Roberts, E.H. and Tao, K.-L. (1990) Low-moisture-content limits to relations between seed longevity and moisture. Annals of Botany 65, 493504.Google Scholar
Fischer, W., Bergfeld, R., Plachy, C., Schafer, R. and Schopfer, P. (1988) Accumulation of storage materials, precocious germination and development of desiccation tolerance during seed maturation in mustard (Sinapis alba L.). Botanica Acta 101, 344354.Google Scholar
Hong, T.D. and Ellis, R.H. (1990) A comparison of maturation drying, germination, and desiccation tolerance between developing seeds of Acer pseudoplatanus L. and Acer platanoides L. New Phytologist 116, 589596.Google Scholar
International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (1976) Report of IBPGR working group on engineering, design and cost aspects of long-term seed storage facilities. International Board for Plant Genetic Resources Rome.Google Scholar
Kameswara Rao, N., Appa Rao, S., Mengesha, M.H. and Ellis, R.H. (1991) Longevity of pearl millet seeds harvested at different stages of maturity. Annals of Applied Biology 119, 97103.Google Scholar
Kermode, A.R. (1990) Regulatory mechanisms involved in the transition from seed development to germination. CRC Critical Review of Plant Science 9, 155195.Google Scholar
Kermode, A.R. and Bewley, J.D. (1985) The role of maturation drying in the transition from seed development to germination. I. Acquisition of desiccation-tolerance and germinability during development of Ricinus communis L. seeds. Journal of Experimental Botany 36, 19061915.Google Scholar
Pieta Filho, C. and Ellis, R.H. (1991) The development of seed quality in spring barley in four environments. I. Germination and longevity. Seed Science Research 1, 163177.Google Scholar
Shaw, R.H. and Loomis, W.E. (1950) Bases for the prediction of corn yields. Plant Physiology 25, 225244.Google Scholar