Abstract
The effect of O2 partial pressure on the germination and the respiration of 12 cultivated species was studied. The reciprocal of the time necessary to observe rootlet emergence in 50% of the seeds was used to approach the germination rate. The maximum germination and respiration rates were reached in most seeds at O2 pressures close to that of air. Decreasing the O2 pressure produced a gradual decrease of the germination rate. The seeds could be classed in two groups according to their response to low O2 pressures. Group I includes lettuce, sunflower, radish, turnip, cabbage, flax, and soybean: at O2 pressures close to 2 kilopascals, the germination in this group was stopped and the adenylate energy charge was lower than 0.6. Group II includes rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, and pea. The germination rate of these seeds was also gradually decreased by lowering the O2 partial pressure but germination still occured, very slowly, at 0.1 kilopascal; the adenylate energy charge remained higher than 0.6. These differences in the germination rates and adenylate energy charge values could not be explained by differences in the sensitivity of respiration to O2.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Aspart L., Got A., Delseny M., Mocquot B., Pradet A. Adaptation of ribonucleic Acid metabolism to anoxia in rice embryos. Plant Physiol. 1983 May;72(1):115–121. doi: 10.1104/pp.72.1.115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Heichel G. H. Dark germination and seedling growth in monocots and dicots of different photosynthetic efficiencies in 2% and 20.9% o(2). Plant Physiol. 1972 Feb;49(2):280–283. doi: 10.1104/pp.49.2.280. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Raymond P., Al-Ani A., Pradet A. ATP Production by Respiration and Fermentation, and Energy Charge during Aerobiosis and Anaerobiosis in Twelve Fatty and Starchy Germinating Seeds. Plant Physiol. 1985 Nov;79(3):879–884. doi: 10.1104/pp.79.3.879. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Raymond P., Pradet A. Stabilization of adenine nucleotide ratios at various values by an oxygen limitation of respiration in germinating lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seeds. Biochem J. 1980 Jul 15;190(1):39–44. doi: 10.1042/bj1900039. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Saglio P. H., Rancillac M., Bruzan F., Pradet A. Critical oxygen pressure for growth and respiration of excised and intact roots. Plant Physiol. 1984 Sep;76(1):151–154. doi: 10.1104/pp.76.1.151. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]