Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Plant Physiology logoLink to Plant Physiology
. 1976 Feb;57(2):274–276. doi: 10.1104/pp.57.2.274

Respiratory Transition during Seed Germination 1

Semahat Yentur a,2, A Carl Leopold a,3
PMCID: PMC542006  PMID: 16659465

Abstract

Experiments with germinating seeds of Wayne soybean (Glycine max Merr.) show that between the 4th and the 8th hour of germination, respiration experiences a transition from predominantly “alternate” respiration, which is sensitive to salicylhydroxamic acid, to a cyanide-sensitive respiration. The dependence of early germination stages on alternate respiration is reflected in several types of seed functions, including subsequent root growth rate, chlorophyll synthesis, and germination itself. The early period of germination is shown to require a normal O2 tension, which is no longer a requirement at later stages. The changing sensitivity to cyanide and to salicylhydroxamic acid is found to be common to seven different types of germinating seeds. It is proposed that the alternate pathway of respiration provides something essential for the completion of the earliest stages of seed germination.

Full text

PDF
274

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abdul-Baki A. A. Metabolism of barley seed during early hours of germination. Plant Physiol. 1969 May;44(5):733–738. doi: 10.1104/pp.44.5.733. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Gibbs M. The Respiration of the Pea Plant. Oxidation of Hexose Phosphate and Pentose Phosphate by Cell-free Extracts of Pea Leaves. Plant Physiol. 1954 Jan;29(1):34–39. doi: 10.1104/pp.29.1.34. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ingle J., Hageman R. H. Metabolic changes associated with the germination of corn. II. Nucleic acid metabolism. Plant Physiol. 1965 Jan;40(1):48–53. doi: 10.1104/pp.40.1.48. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Marcus A., Feeley J. ACTIVATION OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS IN THE IMBIBITION PHASE OF SEED GERMINATION. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1964 Jun;51(6):1075–1079. doi: 10.1073/pnas.51.6.1075. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Roberts E. H. Seed dormancy and oxidation processes. Symp Soc Exp Biol. 1969;23:161–192. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Schonbaum G. R., Bonner W. D., Jr, Storey B. T., Bahr J. T. Specific inhibition of the cyanide-insensitive respiratory pathway in plant mitochondria by hydroxamic acids. Plant Physiol. 1971 Jan;47(1):124–128. doi: 10.1104/pp.47.1.124. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Taylorson R. B., Hendricks S. B. Promotion of seed germination by cyanide. Plant Physiol. 1973 Jul;52(1):23–27. doi: 10.1104/pp.52.1.23. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Walton D. C. Germination of Phaseolus vulgaris II. Stimulation of Axis Growth by dl-Fluorophenylalanines. Plant Physiol. 1966 Nov;41(9):1549–1550. doi: 10.1104/pp.41.9.1549. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Wilson S. B., Bonner W. D. Studies of electron transport in dry and imbibed peanut embryos. Plant Physiol. 1971 Sep;48(3):340–344. doi: 10.1104/pp.48.3.340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Plant Physiology are provided here courtesy of Oxford University Press

RESOURCES