Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T19:27:44.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seed Coat Impermeability and Germination of Showy Crotalaria (Crotalaria spectabilis) Seeds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

G. H. Egley
G. H. Egley*
Affiliation:
South, Weed Sci. Lab., Agric. Res., Sci. Ed. Admin., U.S. Dep. Agric., Stoneville, MS 38776
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Showy crotalaria (Crotalaria spectabilis Roth) seed dormancy was due to seed coat impermeability to water. The seed coats became impermeable during later stages of maturation on the plant. When incubated immediately after harvest, 9% of the mature, black seeds (11% water content) imbibed water and germinated. The remaining 91% had impermeable coats and did not germinate. After dry storage for 3 months at 23 C, 24% of the seeds imbibed water and germinated. Seeds of another seed lot, which contained seeds of different maturity stages, attained 47% imbibition and germination after storage for 1 yr. The dry, less mature green seeds had a higher percentage (51%) of permeable seeds than did the black seeds (31%) from the same lot. Several seed coat treatments induced imbibition of water and germination of previously impermeable seeds. Effective treatments included piercing of seed coats, scarification with sandpaper, soaking in 70 C water, and simply applying pressure on the strophiole area. Covering the pressed strophiole with petroleum jelly significantly blocked imbibition and indicated that water entered the seeds at only the pressed area. However, studies indicated natural loss of impermeability in showy crotalaria seeds may occur at other sites as well.

Keywords

Seed coatsimpermeabilityscarificationchalazastrophiole
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Science , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , July 1979 , pp. 355 - 361
Copyright
Copyright © 1979 by the Weed Science Society of America 

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

Literature Cited

1. Ballard, L. A. T. 1973. Physical barriers to germination. Seed Sci. and Technol. 1:285–303.Google Scholar
2. Ballard, L. A. T., Nelson, S. O., Buchwald, T., and Stetson, L. E. 1976. Effects of radiofrequency electric fields on permeability to water of some legume seeds, with special reference to strophiolar conduction. Seed Sci. and Technol. 4:257–274.Google Scholar
3. Corner, E. J. H. 1951. The leguminous seed. Phytomorphology 1:117–150.Google Scholar
4. Crosier, W. and Etheredge, S. 1951. Consideration of hard seeds of crotalaria. Assoc. Off. Seed Anal. Proc. 41:90–95.Google Scholar
5. Duggar, J. F. 1938. Stands from delayed planting of scalded crotalaria seed. Alabama Agric. Exp. Stn. Rep. 44:26.Google Scholar
6. Egley, G. H. 1976. Germination of developing prickly sida seeds. Weed Sci. 24:239–243.Google Scholar
7. Hagon, M. W. 1971. The action of temperature fluctuations on hard seeds of subterranean clover. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 11:440–443.Google Scholar
8. Hagon, M. W. and Ballard, L. A. T. 1970. Reversibility of strophiolar permeability to water in seeds of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.). Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 23:519–528.Google Scholar
9. Hamly, D. H. 1932. Softening of the seeds of Melilotus alba . Bot. Gaz. 93:345–375.Google Scholar
10. Hyde, E. O. C. 1954. The function of the hilum in some Papilionaceae in relation to the ripening of the seed and the permeability of the testa. Ann. Bot. 18:241–256.Google Scholar
11. Kempanna, C. and Allayyanavaramath, S. B. 1958. Presowing treatment of seeds of Crotalaria striata D. C. Mysore Agric. J. 33:63–65.Google Scholar
12. Martin, J. N. and Watt, J. R. 1944. The strophiole and other seed structures associated with hardness in Melilotus alba L. and M. officinalis Willd. Iowa State College J. Sci. 18:457–469.Google Scholar
13. McKee, R., Ritchey, G. E., Stephens, J. L., and Johnson, H. W. 1946. Crotalaria culture and utilization. Farmers' Bull. No. 1980, U.S. Dep. Agric. U.S. Govt. Printing Office. 17 pp.Google Scholar
14. Nestler, R. B. and Bailey, W. W. 1941. The toxicity of Crotalaria spectabilis for quail. J. Wildl. Manage. 5:309–313.Google Scholar
15. Quinlivan, B. J. 1968. The softening of hard seeds of Sand-plain Lupin (Supinus varius L.). Aust. J. Agric. Res. 19:507–515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16. Quinlivan, B. J. 1971. Seed coat impermeability in legumes. J. Aust. Inst. Agric. Sci. 37:283–295.Google Scholar
17. Rao, N. Satyanarayana. 1947. A note on breaking dormancy in Crotalaria medicaginea Lamk. Sci. Cult. 12:503.Google Scholar
18. Thomas, E. F. 1934. The toxicity of certain species of crotalaria seed for the chicken, quail, turkey, and dove. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 85:617–622.Google Scholar