Biochemical changes in recalcitrant mango seeds.
Girija T., Srinivasan P. S.
Author Affiliation: Department of Crop Physiology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, TN, India.
: 224-226
Abstract : Recalcitrancy can be defined as a deviation from normal behaviour. Seeds of perennial plants manifest recalcitrancy, which in the past has led to the extinction of types and species. Genetic conservation has now become an international policy and hence the factors that stand in its way call for detailed investigation. A phenomenon can be understood properly only if the mechanism is evaluated in all dimensions, viz. morphological, anatomical, biochemical and physiological. An effort in this direction has been made using mango as the test material. The study revealed changes in the metabolic pathways of starch, proteins and fat, resulting in the accumulation of cellulose and free fatty acids. This in turn affected the physiochemical properties of the cell. The thickening of the cell wall and mechanical damage to the meristematic region is evident from anatomical studies. Ultrastructural changes revealed the degeneration of membrane-bound organelles.