Time course of PME activities in the embryo and megagametophyte following incubation of intact seeds at different stages in water or GA3. Intact yellow cedar seeds were subjected to a full dormancy-breaking treatment (A and B, after moist chilling), or were subjected to the dormancy-breaking treatment and then transferred to germination conditions for 4 d (C and D, germ.) or until the seeds had germinated and had achieved radicle lengths of 1 mm (E and F, post-germ.). Following moist chilling or during the germinative and post-germinative stages, seeds were incubated in water or 0.5 mm GA3 and the total PME activities determined in the embryo and megagametophyte of the intact seeds by activity assays over an 8-d period. The incubation solutions (water and GA3) were changed every 3 d.