Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T18:12:34.913Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Physical properties of water in Zizania embryos in relation to maturity status, water content and temperature

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

C. W. Vertucci ,
J. Crane ,
R. A. Porter  and
E. A. Oelke
C. W. Vertucci*
Affiliation:
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Seed Storage Laboratory, 1111 S Mason St., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
J. Crane
Affiliation:
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Seed Storage Laboratory, 1111 S Mason St., Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
R. A. Porter
Affiliation:
North Central Experiment Station, University of Minnesota, 1861 Highway169 East, Grand Rapids, MN 5574-3396, USA
E. A. Oelke
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota, Borlaug Hall, 1991 Buford Circle, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
*
* Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Changes in the properties of water in excised embryos were measured during the late stages of grain development in two cultivars of Zizania palustris and a population of the endangered species Z. texana. The relationships between water content and water activity were determined from water sorption isotherms, measured at temperatures between 35 and 5°C and then derived for lower temperatures. The freezing and melting behaviour of water in embryos at different water contents was determined using differential scanning calorimetry. The moisture content of embryos at high water activities decreased with maturation, as did the moisture content at which freezing transitions were not observed. While the temperatures of freezing and melting transitions decreased as the moisture content of embryos decreased, there were no discernible differences among embryos at different developmental stages. The properties of water measured in maturing Zizania embryos approached those for orthodox seeds as determined from the strength of water sorption, the enthalpy of the melting transition and the moisture content at which water is unfreezable. From these data we conclude that the properties of water in recalcitrant Zizania embryos change with development to resemble those of embryos of desiccation-tolerant seeds, but that the seeds never achieve the orthodox condition. The effects of interactions between moisture content and temperature on desiccation damage, freezing damage and germination in Zizania are predicted, based on the physical properties of water reported here and the correspondence of these properties with physiological function reported for other species. The resulting ‘phase diagram’ defines possible combinations of moisture content and temperature for storage under equilibrium conditions.

Keywords

Zizaniaseedembryorecalcitranceorthodoxdesiccation tolerancedesiccation damagefreezing damagewater sorption isothermsbound wateraqueous glassvitrificationseed storageseed development
Type
Short Communication
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , June 1994 , pp. 211 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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

Berjak, P., Dini, M. and Pammenter, N.W. (1984) Possible mechanisms underlying the differing dehydration responses in recalcitrant and orthodox seeds: desiccation-associated subcellular changes in propagules of Avicennia marina. Seed Science and Technology 12, 365–384.Google Scholar
Berjak, P., Farrant, J.M. and Pammenter, N.W. (1989) The basis of recalcitrant seed behaviour. Cell biology of the homoiohydrous seed condition. pp 89–108 in Taylorson, R.B. (Ed.) Recent advances in the development and germination of seeds. New York, Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berjak, P., Pammenter, N.W. and Vertucci, C.W. (1992) Homoiohydrous (recalcitrant) seeds: developmental status, desiccation sensitivity and the state of water in axes of Landolphia kirkii Dyer. Planta 186, 249–261.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berjak, P., Vertucci, C.W. and Pammenter, N.W. (1993) Effects of developmental status and dehydration rate on characteristics of water and desiccation-sensitivity in recalcitrant seeds of Camellia sinensis. Seed Science Research 3, 155–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berjak, P., Bradford, K.J., Kovach, D.A. and Pammenter, N.W. (1994) Differential effects of temperature on ultrastructural responses to dehydration in seeds of Zizania palustris. Seed Science Research 4, 111–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bronshteyn, V.L. and Steponkus, P.L. (1993) Calorimetric studies of freeze-induced dehydration of phospholipids. Biophysical Journal, 65, 1853–1865.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruni, F.B. and Leopold, A.C. (1991) Glass transitions in soybean seed. Relevance to anhydrous biology. Plant Physiology 96, 660–663.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruni, F. and Leopold, A.C. (1992) Pools of water in anhydrobiotic organisms. Biophysical Journal 63, 663–672.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burke, M.J. (1986) The glassy state and survival of anhydrous biological systems. pp 358–364 in Leopold, A.C. (Ed.) Membranes, metabolism and dry organisms. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Crowe, J.H., Hoekstra, F.A. and Crowe, L.M. (1992) Anhydrobiosis. Annual Review of Physiology 54, 579–599.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1991) An intermediate category of seed storage behaviour? Journal of Experimental Botany 42, 653–657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrant, J.M., Pammenter, N.W. and Berjak, P. (1993) Seed development in relation to desiccation tolerance: a comparison between desiccation-sensitive (recalcitrant) seeds of Avicennia marina and desiccation-tolerant types. Seed Science Research 3, 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Franks, F. (1982) Water. A comprehensive treatise. New York, Plenum Press.Google Scholar
Franks, F. (1992) The importance of being glassy. CryoLetters 13, 349–350.Google Scholar
Grange, R.I. and Finch-Savage, W.E. (1992) Embryo water status and development of the recalcitrant species Quercus robur L.: determination of water relations parameters by pressure-volume analysis. Journal of Experimental Botany 43, 657–662.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoekstra, F.A., Crowe, J.H. and Crowe, L.M. (1992) Germination and ion leakage are linked with phase transitions of membrane lipids during imbibition of Typha latifolia pollen. Physiologia Plantarum 84, 29–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, J.R. and Erickson, A.E. (1952) Relation of seed germination to soil moisture tension. Agronomy Journal 44, 107–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kermode, A.R. (1990) Regulatory mechanisms involved in the transition from seed development to germination. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 9, 155–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koster, K.L. (1991) Glass formation and desiccation tolerance in seeds. Plant Physiology 96, 302–304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovach, D.A. and Bradford, K.J. (1992) Imbibitional damage and desiccation tolerance of wild rice (Zizania palustris) seeds. Journal of Experimental Botany 43, 747–757.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leopold, A.C. and Vertucci, C.W. (1986) Physical attributes of desiccated seeds. pp 22–34 in Leopold, A.C. (Ed.) Membranes, metabolism and dry organisms. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Leopold, A.C. and Vertucci, C.W. (1989) Moisture as a regulator of physiological reaction in seeds. pp 51–67, in Stanwood, P.C. and McDonald, M.B. (Eds) Seed moisture. Madison, WI, Crop Science Society of America.Google Scholar
Leprince, O., Hendry, G.A.F. and McKersie, B.D. (1993) The mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in developing seeds. Seed Science Research 3, 231–246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levine, H. (1989) Water relationships in foods. Symposium: meeting report. Cryo-Letters 10, 211–212.Google Scholar
Levitt, J. (1980) Responses of plants to environmental stress. Vol. 2. Water, radiation, salt and other stresses. NY, Academic Press.Google Scholar
Lockett, M.C. and Luyet, B.J. (1951) Survival of frozen seeds of various water contents. Biodynamica 7, 67–76.Google ScholarPubMed
McDonald, M.B. Jr., Vertucci, C.W. and Roos, E.E. (1988) Soybean seed imbibition: water adsorption by seed parts. Crop Science 28, 993–997.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michel, B.E. (1983) Evaluation of the water potentials of solutions of polyethylene glycol 8000 both in the absence and presence of other solutes. Plant Physiology 72, 66–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pammenter, N.W., Vertucci, C.W. and Berjak, P. (1991) Homeohydrous (recalcitrant) seeds: dehydration, the state of water and viability characteristics in Landolphia kirkii. Plant Physiology 96, 1093–1098.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pammenter, N.W., Vertucci, C.W. and Berjak, P. (1993) Responses to dehydration in relation to non-freezable water in desiccation-sensitive and -tolerant seeds. pp 867–872 in Côme, D. and Corbineau, F. (Eds) Fourth international workshop on seeds: basic and applied aspects of seed biology. Paris, ASFIS.Google Scholar
Pritchard, H.W. (1991) Water potential and embryonic axis viability in recalcitrant seeds of Quercus rubra. Annals of Botany 67, 43–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pritchard, H.W. and Manger, K.R. (1993) Relations between the calorimetrically-determined state of water in the axis and cotyledons of Quercus robur fruits and intolerance to desiccation. Abstract p 72. in Côme, D. and Corbineau, F. (Eds) Fourth international workshop on seeds: basic and applied aspects of seed biology. Paris, ASFIS.Google Scholar
Probert, R.J. and Brierley, E.R. (1989) Desiccation intolerance in seeds of Zizania palustris is not related to developmental age or the duration of post-harvest storage. Annals of Botany 64, 669–674.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Probert, R.J. and Longley, P.L. (1989) Recalcitrant seed storage physiology in three aquatic grasses (Zizania palustris, Spartina anglica, and Portersia coarctata). Annals of Botany 63, 53–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, E.H. (1973) Predicting the storage life of seeds. Seed Science and Technology 1, 499–514.Google Scholar
Roberts, E.H. and Ellis, R.H. (1989) Water and seed survival. Annals of Botany 63, 39–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steponkus, P.L. and Webb, M.S. (1992) Freezeinduced dehydration and membrane destabilization in plants. pp 338–362 in Somero, G.N., Osmond, C.B. and Bolis, C.L. (Eds) Water and life: comparative analysis of water relationships at the organismic cellular and molecular level. Berlin, Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vertucci, C.W. (1989a) Relationship between thermal transitions and freezing injury in pea and soybean seeds. Plant Physiology 90, 1121–1128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vertucci, C.W. (1989b) Effects of cooling rate on seeds exposed to liquid nitrogen temperatures. Plant Physiology 90, 1478–1485.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vertucci, C.W. (1990) Calorimetric studies of the state of water in seed tissues. Biophysical Journal 58, 1463–1471.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vertucci, C.W. (in press) Predicting the optimum storage conditions for seeds using thermodynamic principles. Journal of Seed Technology.Google Scholar
Vertucci, C.W. and Farrant, J.M. (in press) Acquisition and loss of desiccation tolerance. in Ngebi, M. and Kigel, J. (Eds) Seed development and germination. NY, Marcel Dekker, Inc.Google Scholar
Vertucci, C.W. and Leopold, A.C. (1986) Physiological activities associated with hydration level in seeds. pp 35–49 in Leopold, A.C. (Ed.) Membranes, metabolism and dry organisms. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Vertucci, C.W. and Leopold, A.C. (1987a) Water binding in legume seeds. Plant Physiology 85, 224–231.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vertucci, C.W. and Leopold, A.C. (1987b) The relationship between water binding and desiccation tolerance in tissues. Plant Physiology 85, 232–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vertucci, C.W. and Roos, E.E. (1990) Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage. Plant Physiology 94, 1019–1023.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vertucci, C.W. and Roos, E.E. (1993a) Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage. II. The influence of temperature on optimal moisture levels. Seed Science Research 3, 201–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vertucci, C.W. and Roos, E.E. (1993b) Seed storage, temperature and relative humidity. Seed Science Research 3, 215–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vertucci, C.W. and Roos, E.E. (in press) Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage. III. Optimum moisture contents for pea seeds stored at different temperatures. Annals of Botany.Google Scholar
Vertucci, C.W., Berjak, P., Pammenter, N.W. and Crane, J. (1991) Cryopreservation of embryonic axes of an homeohydrous (recalcitrant) seed in relation to calorimetric properties of tissue water. Cryo-Letters 12, 339–350.Google Scholar
Welbaum, G.E. and Bradford, K.J. (1989) Water relations of seed development and germination in muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.). II. Development of germinability, vigour, and desiccation tolerance. Journal of Experimental Botany 40, 1355–1362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wesley-Smith, J., Vertucci, C.W., Berjak, P., Pammenter, N.W. and Crane, J. (1992) Cryopreservation of desiccation-sensitive axes of Camellia sinensis in relation to dehydration, freezing rate and the thermal properties of tissue water. Journal of Plant Physiology 140, 596–604.CrossRefGoogle Scholar