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Physiological Studies with Heavy Water. II. Germination and Growth Inhibition of Barley by D 2 O
Author(s) -
BHANDARKAR M. K.,
BHATTACHARYA S.,
GAUR B. K.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1971.tb03528.x
Subject(s) - endosperm , germination , shoot , seedling , embryo , elongation , starch , horticulture , biology , chemistry , botany , food science , materials science , metallurgy , ultimate tensile strength , microbiology and biotechnology
Seed germination and barley seedling growth in various D 2 O concentrations have been studied. It was observed that the emergence of root and shoot was delayed, there being greater delay in shoot than in root emergence. A complete block was observed in germination in pure D 2 O and the germination rate was slowed down significantly in lower concentrations. An initial germination delay by different D 2 O concentrations seemed to cause a subsequent retardation in the growth measured as shoot and root length. A comparison of root and shoot length with their respective dry weights suggested that the growth by cell division/elongation might have been affected more than the transport of food materials from the endosperm to the embryo. Analysis of the total sugars of the endosperm and the embryo at 8 hour intervals showed that while the hydrolysis of starch to sugars was progressively decreased by increasing D 2 O concentrations, the transport rate from endosperm to embryo showed a sharp inhibition in 50% D 2 O and above. This indicated that the inhibition in the transport of materials, besides less hydrolysis of reserve food materials, may also be a causal factor of germination and growth inhibition in D 2 O.