Post-abscission, pre-dispersal seeds of Digitalis purpurea remain in a developmental state that is not terminated by desiccation ex planta
Open Access
- 9 January 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Annals of Botany
- Vol. 103 (5), 785-794
- https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcn254
Abstract
Seed quality may be compromised if seeds are harvested before natural dispersal (shedding). It has been shown previously that slow or delayed drying can increase potential quality compared with immediate rapid drying. This study set out to investigate whether or not there is a critical moisture content, below which drying terminates maturation events for seeds harvested after mass maturity but before dispersal. Seeds of foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) in the post-abscission pre-dispersal phase were held at between 15 and 95 % RH for 4 or 8 d, with or without re-hydration to 95 % RH for a further 4 d, before drying to equilibrium at 15 % RH. In addition, dry seeds were primed for 48 h at −1 MPa. Subsequent seed longevity was assessed at 60 % RH and 45 °C. Rate of germination and longevity were improved by holding seeds at a wide range of humidities after harvest. Longevity was further improved by re-hydration at 95 % RH. Priming improved the longevity of the seeds dried immediately after harvest, but not of those first held at 95 % RH for 8 d prior to drying. Maturation continued ex planta in these post-abscission, pre-dispersal seeds of D. purpurea dried at 15–80 % RH at a rate correlated positively with RH (cf. ageing of mature seeds). Subsequent re-hydration at 95 % RH enabled a further improvement in quality. Priming seeds initially stored air-dry for 3 months also allowed maturation events to resume. However, once individual seeds within the population had reached maximum longevity, priming had a negative impact on their subsequent survival.Keywords
This publication has 36 references indexed in Scilit:
- Seed quality for conservation is critically affected by pre-storage factorsAustralian Journal of Botany, 2007
- Correlation of modified water sorption properties with the decline of storage stability of osmotically-primed seeds of Vigna radiata (L.) WilczekSeed Science Research, 1997
- The effect of the initial rate of drying on the subsequent ability of immature seeds of Norway maple (Acer platanoidesL.) to survive rapid desiccationSeed Science Research, 1997
- Prehydration and Priming Treatments that Advance Germination also Increase the Rate of Deterioration of Lettuce SeedsJournal of Experimental Botany, 1992
- Changes in seed quality during seed development and maturation in tomatoSeed Science Research, 1992
- The development of seed quality in spring and winter cultivars of barley and wheatSeed Science Research, 1992
- The effects of priming on seed longevity in Ranunculus sceleratus L.Seed Science Research, 1991
- The development of seed quality in spring barley in four environments. I. Germination and longevitySeed Science Research, 1991
- Interruption of Water Delivery at Physiological Maturity is Essential for Seed Development, Germination and Seedling Growth in Pea (Pisum sativum L.)Journal of Experimental Botany, 1988
- The Role of Maturation Drying in the Transition from Seed Development to GerminationJournal of Experimental Botany, 1986