Abstract
Seed damage is a common phenomenon in nature and in agricultural production. In this experiment, partial endosperm removal from wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum) caryopses, sampled from three ecotypes originated from xeric environments in Israel, was conducted. The aim was to examine seed dormancy and germination states in damaged caryopses and salt tolerance of young seedlings derived from them. Six treatments were made: (1) control seeds with intact caryopses; (2–4) removal of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 of the length of intact caryopses; (5) transection at the points, at which the endosperm and embryo meet; and (6) slitting of endosperm opposite the embryo. A significant negative correlation was found between germination percentage (dormancy release) and the relative distance from the dissection point to embryo. Partial removal of the endosperm could accelerate dormancy release. Seedling salt tolerance was assessed by the ratio of root or coleoptile length in a seedling grown in 100 or 200 mM NaCl solution to that of a seedling grown in water. The seedling salt tolerance was positively correlated with the removed portion of the seed endosperm. For each level of endosperm removal, the salt tolerance to 200 mM NaCl of the seedlings derived from the Dead Sea ecotype was higher than those from both the Sede Boker and the Mehola ecotypes. The results suggest that partial damage to seed endosperms in natural conditions may play a role in increasing the phenotypic plasticity of germination and salt tolerance.
Abbreviations
- DBP:
-
dormancy breaking percentage
- R100/0 or C100/0:
-
ratios of root (R) or coleoptile (C) length of seedlings grown in 100 mM NaCl solution to those grown in water
- R200/0 or C200/0:
-
the ratios of root or coleoptile length of seedlings grown in 200 mM NaCl solution to those grown in water
References
Benitez-Malvido, J., Tapia, E., Suazo, I., Villasenor, E., and Alvarado, J., Germination and Seed Damage in Tropical Dry Forest Plants Ingested by Iguanas, J. Herpetol., 2003, vol. 37, pp. 301–308.
Gutterman, Y., Survival Strategies of Annual Desert Plants: Adaptations of Desert Organisms, Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2002.
Shelar, V.R., Shaikh, R.S., and Nikam, A.S., Soybean Seed Quality during Storage: A Review, Agric. Revol., 2008, vol. 29, pp. 125–131.
Baskin, C.C. and Baskin, J.M., Seeds — Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, San Diego: Academic, 1998.
Harlan, J.R. and Zohary, D., Distribution of Wild Wheat and Barley, Science, 1966, vol. 153, pp. 1074–1080.
Gutterman, Y. and Nevo, E., Temperatures and Ecological-Genetic Differentiation Affecting the Germination of Hordeum spontaneum Caryopses Harvested from Three Populations: The Negev Desert and Opposing Slopes on Mediterranean Mount Carmel, Israel J. Plant Sci., 1994, vol. 42, pp. 183–195.
Chen, G.X., Krugman, T., Fahima, T., Zhang, F.C., Korol, A.B., and Nevo, E., Differential Patterns of Germination and Desiccation Tolerance of Mesic and Xeric Wild Barley (Hordeum spontaneum) in Israel, J. Arid Environ., 2002, vol. 56, pp. 95–105.
Yan, J., Chen, G.X., Cheng, J.P., Nevo, E., and Gutterman, Y., Phenotypic Variation of Caryopsis Dormancy and Seedling Salt Tolerance of Wild Barley, Hordeum spontaneum, from Different Habitats in Israel, Gen. Res. Crop Evol., 2008, vol. 55, pp. 995–1005.
Benech-Arnold, R.L., Giallorenzi, M.C., Frank, J., and Rodriguez, V., Termination of Hull-Imposed Dormancy in Developing Barley Grains Is Correlated with Changes in Embryonic ABA Levels and Sensitivity, Seed Sci. Res., 1999, vol. 9, pp. 39–47.
Mano, Y. and Takeda, K., Mapping Quantitative Loci for Salt Tolerance at the Germination and the Seedling Stage in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), Euphytica, 1997, vol. 94, pp. 263–272.
Nevo, E. and Chen, G.X., Drought and Salt Tolerances in Wild Relatives for Wheat and Barley Improvement, Plant Cell Environ., 2010, vol. 33, pp. 670–685.
Huang, Z.Y., Dong, M., and Gutterman, Y., Factors Influencing Seed Dormancy and Germination in Sand, and Seedling Survival under Desiccation, of Psammochloa villosa (Poaceae), Inhabiting the Moving Sand Dunes of Ordos, China, Plant Soil, 2004, vol. 259, pp. 231–241.
Yan, J., Wang, Y., Gutterman, Y., Nevo, E., and Cheng, J.P., Effects of Seed Cutting on the Seed Dormancy and Germination of Brochypodium distachyon, Seed, 2010, vol. 29, pp. 15–18.
Jacobsen, J.V., Pearce, D.W., Poole, A.T., Pharis, R.P., and Mander, L.N., Abscisic Acid, Phaseic Acid and Gibberellin Contents Associated with Dormancy and Germination in Barley, Physiol. Plant., 2002, vol. 115, pp. 428–441.
Benech-Arnold, R.L., Gualano, N., Leymarie, J., Côme D., and Corbineau, F., Hypoxia Interferes with ABA Metabolism and Increases ABA Sensitivity in Embryos of Dormant Barley Grains, J. Exp. Bot., 2006, vol. 57, pp. 1423–1430.
Gubler, F., Hughes, T., Waterhouse, P., and Jacobsen, J., Regulation of Dormancy in Barley by Blue Light and After-Ripening: Effects on Abscisic Acid and Gibberellin Metabolism, Plant Physiol., 2008, vol. 147, pp. 886–896.
Wang, M., van der Meulen, R.M., Visser, K., van Schaik, H.P., van Duijn, B., and de Boer, A.H., Effects of Dormancy-Breaking Chemicals on ABA Levels in Barley Grain Embryos, Seed Sci. Res., 1998, vol. 8, pp. 129–137.
Radley, M., Site of Production of Gibberellin-Like Substances in Germinating Barley Embryos, Planta, 1967, vol. 75, pp. 164–171.
Munns, R., Comparative Physiology of Salt and Water Stress, Plant Cell Environ., 2002, vol. 25, pp. 239–250.
Rawson, H.M., Richards, R.A., and Munns, R., An Examination of Selection Criteria for Salt-Tolerance in Wheat, Barley, and Triticale Genotypes, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 1988, vol. 39, pp. 759–772.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
The text was submitted by the authors in English.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yan, J., Wang, Y., Nevo, E. et al. Effects of partial endosperm removal on embryo dormancy breaking and salt tolerance of Hordeum spontaneum seeds. Russ J Plant Physiol 59, 423–427 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1134/S102144371203020X
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S102144371203020X