Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T09:34:02.447Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Seed survival in Chilean Nothofagus in response to desiccation and storage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

Pedro León-Lobos*
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University of Reading, Earley Gate, PO Box 237, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
Richard H. Ellis*
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University of Reading, Earley Gate, PO Box 237, Reading, RG6 6AR, UK
*
Current address: Banco Base de Semillas, Centro Experimental Vicuña, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Casilla 73, Vicuña, Chile; and Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA), Casilla 599, La Serena, Chile.
*Correspondence: Fax: +44 118 935 2421 Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Nothofagus alpina, N. obliqua, N. glauca, N. leonii, N. dombeyi and N. pumilio seeds exhibited consistent, albeit slight, sensitivity to extreme desiccation, but nevertheless maintained viability at low moisture contents and cool temperatures (–10° to –20°C) over 2 years. Nothofagus alpina, N. obliqua, N. glauca, N. leonii and N. dombeyi conformed to the seed viability equation of Ellis and Roberts; sensitivity of longevity to temperature was quantitatively similar to that of crop seeds, sensitivity to moisture was somewhat less, and a low-moisture-content limit to the equation was detected at 4.8% moisture content in hermetic storage at 65 °C, and possibly similar moisture contents at 30–40°C. These five species show orthodox seed storage behaviour. Therefore, ex-situ conservation of these Nothofagus species in seed banks is possible, but the quality of seed lots collected requires attention. Seed storage behaviour was not defined in N. pumilio: initial seed quality was poor and loss of viability was detected over 2 years at 0°, –10° and –20°C at 2.7% moisture content, but not at 5.2%. The results confirm that the economy of nature in seed storage physiology extends to forest tree seeds, but the repeated observation of reduced sensitivity of longevity to moisture in forest tree seeds requires further investigation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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

Armesto, J., Smith-Ramirez, C., León, P. and Arroyo, M. (1992) Biodiversidad y conservación del bosque templado en Chile [Biodiversity and conservation of the temperate forest of Chile]. Ambiente y Desarrollo 8, 1924.Google Scholar
Arroyo, M.T.K. and Hoffmann, A. (1997) Temperate rain forest of Chile. pp. 542548. in Davis, S.D.;, Heywood, V.H.;, Herrera-MacBryde, O.;, Villa-Lobos, J.;, Hamilton, A.C. (Eds) Centres of plant diversity: A guide and strategy for their conservation, Vol. 3, The Americas Cambridge WWF and IUCN, World Conservation Union.Google Scholar
Benoit, I. (1989) Red book on Chilean terrestrial flora (part one). Santiago, Chile, Chilean Forest Service (CONAF).Google Scholar
Bonner, F.T. (1994) Predicting seed longevity for four forest tree species with orthodox seeds. Seed Science and Technology 22, 361370.Google Scholar
Brown, R.H., Mueller-Harvey, I. (1999) Evaluation of the novel Soxflo technique for rapid extraction of crude fat in foods and animal feeds. Journal of AOAC International 82, 13691374.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Destremau, D.X. (1989) La sylviculture des Nothofagus en Europe. pp. 115122. in Gamundí, I.J. (Ed.) Monografias de la academia nacional de ciencias exactas, fisicas y naturales, Buenos Aires. Number 4. France, AFOCEL.Google Scholar
Dickie, J.B., Ellis, R.H., Kraak, H.L., Ryder, K. and Tompsett, P.B. (1990) Temperature and seed storage longevity. Annals of Botany 65, 197204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donoso, C. (1996) Ecology of Nothofagus forests in central Chile. pp. 271292. in Veblen, T.;, Hill, R.;, Read, J. (Eds) The ecology and biogeography of Nothofagus forests. New Haven, Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H. (1988) The viability equation, seed viability nomographs, and practical advice on seed storage. Seed Science and Technology 16, 2950.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H. (2003) Temperate and tropical tree seed physiology and the economy of nature. Seed Technology 25, 6977.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H. and Roberts, E.H. (1980) Improved equations for the prediction of seed longevity. Annals of Botany 45, 1330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Osei-Bonsu, K. and Roberts, E.H. (1982) The influence of genotype, temperature and moisture on seed longevity in chickpea, cowpea and soya bean. Annals of Botany 50, 6982.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1985) Handbook of seed technology for genebanks. Vol. I. Principles and methodology. Rome International Board for Plant Genetic Resources.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1988) A low-moisture-content limit to logarithmic relations between seed moisture content and longevity. Annals of Botany 61, 405408.CrossRefGoogle 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.CrossRefGoogle 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.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1992) The low-moisture-content limit to the negative logarithmic relation between seed longevity and moisture content in three subspecies of rice. Annals of Botany 69, 5358.Google Scholar
Escobar, B. and Donoso, C. (1996) Resultados preliminares de almacenamiento en frío de semillas de coigue (Nothofagus dombeyi), roble (Nothofagus obliqua) y rauli (Nothofagus alpina). Bosque 17, 101105.Google Scholar
FAO (1993) Ex situ storage of seeds, pollen and in vitro cultures of perennial woody plant species. Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.Google Scholar
Genstat 5 Committee (1997) Genstat 5 release 3 reference manual. Oxford, Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Gordon, A.C. and Rowe, D.C.F. (1982) Seed manual for ornamental trees and shrubs. Forestry Commission bulletin 59. London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Hong, T.D. and Ellis, R.H. (1996) A protocol to determine seed storage behaviour.IPGRI technical bulletin No. 1.Rome,.International Plant Genetic Resources Institute.Google Scholar
Hong, T.D., Jenkins, N.E., Ellis, R.H. and Moore, D. (1998) Limits to the negative logarithmic relationship between moisture content and longevity in conidia of Metarhizium flavoviride. Annals of Botany 81, 625630.Google Scholar
Ibrahim, A.E. and Roberts, E.H. (1983) Viability of lettuce seeds. I. Survival in hermetic storage. Journal of Experimental Botany 34, 620630.Google Scholar
International Seed Testing Association (2004) International rules for seed testing. Zurich, Switzerland, International Seed Testing Association.Google Scholar
Kebreab, E. and Murdoch, A.J. (1999) Effect of temperature and humidity on the longevity of Orobanche seeds. Weed Research 39, 199211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kraak, H.L. and Vos, J. (1987) Seed viability constants for lettuce. Annals of Botany 59, 343349.Google Scholar
Lara, A. and Veblen, T.T. (1993) Forest plantations in Chile: a successful model? pp. 118139. in Mather, A. (Ed.) Afforestation: Policies, planning and progress. London, Belhaven Press.Google Scholar
León-Lobos, P. (2000) Nothofagus and Fagus seed survival after desiccation and storage. PhD thesis, University of Reading.Google Scholar
Lima, M.J.V. and Ellis, R.H. (2005) Seed survival of four tropical tree species in response to environment. Seed Science and Technology 33, 157166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Medeiros, A.C.S., Probert, R.J., Sader, R. and Smith, R.D. (1998) The moisture relations of seed longevity in Astronium urundeuva (Fr.All.) Engl. Seed Science and Technology 26, 289298.Google Scholar
Roberts, E.H. (1973) Predicting the storage life of seeds. Seed Science and Technology 1, 499514.Google Scholar
Roberts, E.H. and Ellis, R.H. (1989) Water and seed survival. Annals of Botany 63, 3952.Google Scholar
Rodriguez, R., Matthei, O. and Quezada, M. (1983) Flora arbórea de Chile [Tree Flora of Chile]. Concepción, Chile, Editorial de la Universidad de Concepción.Google Scholar
Tompsett, P.B. (1986) The effect of temperature and moisture content on the longevity of seed of Ulmus carpinifolia and Terminalia brassii. Annals of Botany 57, 875883.Google Scholar
Tompsett, P.B. (1994) Capture of genetic resources by collection and storage of seed: a physiological approach. pp. 6171. Leakey, R.R.B.;, Newton, A.C. (Eds) Tropical trees: The potential for domestication and rebuilding of forest resources, ECTF Symposium No. 1, ITE Symposium No. 29. London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Tompsett, P.B. and Kemp, R. (1996) Database of tropical tree seed research (DABATTS). Database content. Richmond, Surrey Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.Google Scholar
Tuley, G. (1980) Nothofagus in Britain.Forest Record 122.London,Her Majesty's Stationery Office.Google Scholar
Wood, C.B., Pritchard, H.W. and Amritphale, D. (2000) Desiccation-induced dormancy in papaya (Carica papaya L.) seeds is alleviated by heat shock. Seed Science Research 10, 135145.Google Scholar
Zewdie, M. and Ellis, R.H. (1991) Survival of tef and niger seeds following exposure to sub-zero temperatures at various moisture contents. Seed Science and Technology 19, 309317.Google Scholar