Effects of Oxygen and Respiratory Inhibitors on Induction and Release of Dormancy in Aerial Tubers of Begonia evansiana

Effects of O(2) and some respiratory inhibitors on the induction and release of bud dormancy were examined with the aerial tubers of different ages of Begonia evansiana Andr. Oxygen was needed not only for tuber sprouting but also during the chilling process at 2 to 5 C to break tuber dormancy. If the mature tubers were exposed to blue light during the chilling period, their dormancy was strikingly released even by the chilling given under an O(2) concentration as low as 3%. Blue light pretreatment promoted photo-sprouting of immature tubers only when given under lower O(2) concentrations. On the other hand, red light became effective in inducing dormancy in the immature tubers and in prolonging dormancy in the mature tubers as O(2) tension was increased. This was also the case with the induction of dormancy in the immature tubers by exposing them to a lower temperature (17 C) in the dark. The development of dormancy was suppressed by 2,4-dinitrophenol, p-nitrophenol, and sodium azide.