Deterioration of some recalcitrant seeds.
Chen G. Y., Fu J. R.
Author Affiliation: Department of Biology, Zhongshan University, Ghangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Plant Physiology Communications : 11-14
Abstract : During the deterioration of Litchi chinensis, Dimocarpus longan, Mangifera indica and Gossampinus malabarica [Bombax malabaricum] seeds, the cotyledons and seed coats turned brown. Polyphenol oxidase [catechol oxidase] activity was predominant amongst the enzymes studied. Ascorbate oxidase activity was highest in Clausena lansium, whose cotyledons did not turn brown. Germinability of L. chinensis, C. lansium and D. longan was completely lost at room temperature (25-30°C) after 4-6 days, due to water loss; during this period, the ascorbic acid content declined and peroxide content gradually increased. The seeds of B. malabaricum, dehydrated at 10-15° to a water content of 12-14%, had a germination rate of 75-90% after 10-months of storage.