TY - JOUR
T1 - Loss of desiccation tolerance in imbibed seeds
T2 - Implications for seed mortality
AU - Daws, M. I.
AU - Bolton, S.
AU - Burslem, David Francis Robert Philip
AU - Mullins, Christopher
AU - Garwood, N. C.
PY - 2007/7
Y1 - 2007/7
N2 - During germination, orthodox seeds loose their ability to tolerate desiccation. We determined whether the critical proportion of a seed's germination time after which desiccation tolerance is lost (CIP) is constant within and between species for nine species of neo-tropical pioneer trees. Seeds were imbibed for various periods before being desiccated. Following desiccation, seeds were re-imbibed and subsequent germination recorded. We found that the CIP was constant within species and was similar for the different species (60–70% of the germination time). Consequently, the maximum number of seeds that can be killed by a single desiccation event, during germination, should increase in seedlots that either have a longer time to germination, or have a narrow range of times to germination. This prediction provides an empirical explanation for the typically observed across species relationship of an increasing spread of germination times within increasing time to 50% germination.
AB - During germination, orthodox seeds loose their ability to tolerate desiccation. We determined whether the critical proportion of a seed's germination time after which desiccation tolerance is lost (CIP) is constant within and between species for nine species of neo-tropical pioneer trees. Seeds were imbibed for various periods before being desiccated. Following desiccation, seeds were re-imbibed and subsequent germination recorded. We found that the CIP was constant within species and was similar for the different species (60–70% of the germination time). Consequently, the maximum number of seeds that can be killed by a single desiccation event, during germination, should increase in seedlots that either have a longer time to germination, or have a narrow range of times to germination. This prediction provides an empirical explanation for the typically observed across species relationship of an increasing spread of germination times within increasing time to 50% germination.
U2 - 10.1016/j.sajb.2007.04.048
DO - 10.1016/j.sajb.2007.04.048
M3 - Article
SN - 0254-6299
VL - 73
SP - 501
EP - 501
JO - South African Journal of Botany
JF - South African Journal of Botany
IS - 3
ER -