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Annals of Botany 82: 309-314, 1998
© 1998 Annals of Botany Company

Irrigation and Seed Quality Development in Rapid-cycling Brassica: Seed Germination and Longevity

U. R. SINNIAH, R. H. ELLIS+, and P. JOHN

Department of Agriculture, The University of Reading, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading, RG6 6AT, UK School of Plant Sciences, The University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6AS, UK

February 26, 1998 ; April 29, 1998 . May 14, 1998 .

Irrigation of rapid-cycling brassica (Brassica campestris [rapa]L.) plants either ended 16 or 24 days after pollination (DAP) or continued throughout the experiment (control). Seeds were harvested serially from these plants during their development and maturation. The earlier irrigation to the mother plant ended, the earlier mass maturity (end of seed-filling phase) occurred, the lower the final seed dry weight, and the more rapid the decline in seed moisture content. The onset of ability to germinate normally occurred as early as 12 DAP, when seeds were less than half-filled. The onset of ability to tolerate rapid enforced desiccation (to 10% moisture content) occurred at 16 DAP. Desiccation tolerance developed within most seeds in both populations about 5 d sooner in seeds harvested from plants in which irrigation was stopped at 16 DAP than in control plants, but maximum desiccation tolerance occurred at about 28 DAP in all treatments. Survival curves (percentage normal germinationvs.period of storage) of seeds hermetically stored at 40 °C with 15% moisture content conformed to negative cumulative normal distributions, and provided a common estimate of the standard deviation of the frequency distribution of seed deaths in time for seed lots harvested at different times from the three environments ({sigma}=4.7 d). Potential seed longevity (i.e. the constantKiof the seed viability equation) varied greatly with plant irrigation treatment and with duration from pollination. MaximumKivalues were attained 44, 36 and 32 DAP (10, 6 and 7 d after mass maturity) for seeds from control plants, or plants irrigated until 24 or 16 DAP, respectively, and declined thereafter. Maximum potential longevity was greatest (Ki=4.61) for seeds from plants where irrigation stopped 16 DAP and least (Ki=3.88) for those from plants irrigated throughout the experiment. Thus the water status of the mother plant affected seed quality development substantially: terminal drought resulted in more rapid seed quality development and also greater maximum seed quality.Copyright 1998 Annals of Botany Company

Brassica campestris (rapa)L., rapid-cycling brassica, seed development, germination, desiccation tolerance, seed storage, longevity.


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