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Changes during light and dark osmotic treatment independently modulating germination and ribonucleic acid synthesis in Chenopodium bonus‐henricus seeds
Author(s) -
Khan Anwar A.,
Karssen C. M.
Publication year - 1981
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.1399-3054.1981.tb04476.x
Subject(s) - germination , cordycepin , dormancy , rna , imbibition , darkness , chenopodium , seed dormancy , messenger rna , polyethylene glycol , biology , horticulture , chemistry , botany , biochemistry , gene , weed
The content and synthesis of RNA in Chenopodium bonus‐henricus L. seeds in different physiological states were evaluated. A moist‐chilling treatment at 4°C removed the primary dormancy of seeds. A pretreatment of chilled seed in low osmotic potential (–8.6 bars) polyethylene glycol‐6000 solution at 15°C in light led to an advancement in subsequent germination time in water while a treatment in darkness induced a secondary dormancy. The synthesis of total RNA and poly A (+) RNA was correlated with the capacity of seeds to germinate. Cordycepin or α‐amanitin failed to inhibit the germination of unchilled seeds, chilled seeds or chilled seeds given a prior light osmotic treatment. Also, germination of chilled seeds was not affected by cordycepin applied during light osmotic treatment. However, cordycepin effectively depressed the synthesis of both total RNA and poly A (+) RNA in chilled seeds with or without a prior light osmotic treatment. These data suggest that germination per se may depend upon the activation of pre‐existing mRNA, which might be functionally different from the newly synthesized mRNA including poly A (+) RNA.