Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-94d59 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T07:59:48.082Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Seed ageing of four Western Australian species in relation to storage environment and seed antioxidant activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 February 2007

D.J. Merritt*
Affiliation:
Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
T. Senaratna
Affiliation:
Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
D.H. Touchell
Affiliation:
School of Forestry and Wood Products, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931-1295, USA
K.W. Dixon
Affiliation:
Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, West Perth, WA 6005, Australia
K. Sivasithamparam
Affiliation:
Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
*
*Correspondence Fax: +61 089480 3641, Email: dmerritt@kpbg.wa.gov.au

Abstract

The influence of the storage environment on seed viability and antioxidant potential was examined for four species native to Western Australia: Acacia bivenosa DC., Anigozanthos manglesii D. Don, Banksia ashbyi E.G. Baker, and Mesomelaena tetragona (R. Br.) Benth. Seeds were stored at four water contents (at c. 5%, 11–15%, 20–23% and 50% relative humidity) at each of five temperatures (–196, –18, 5, 23 and 50°C), and seed germination and seedling vigour monitored over an 18-month period. Deterioration was apparent in all species (except A. bivenosa) stored at 50°C, with 11% RH maximizing longevity for B. ashbyi and M. tetragona seeds, and 5% or 11% RH preventing deterioration for A. manglesii seeds. Seed viability generally remained high for all species stored at 23°C or less. Notably, however, germination and seedling vigour of A. manglesii and M. tetragona seeds gradually declined when stored at –18°C, suggesting that storage at this temperature was detrimental. The antioxidant activity of lipid extracts of seeds after 18 months storage at 5, 23 and 50°C was also examined to determine whether the seed viability decline was associated with a loss of antioxidants. Antioxidant activity varied between storage treatments and was not related to seed viability.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Benson, E.E. (1990) Free radical damage in stored plant germplasm. Rome, International Board for Plant Genetic Resources.Google Scholar
Buitink, J., Claessens, M.M.A.E., Hemminga, M.A. and Hoekstra, F.A. (1998) Influence of water content and temperature on molecular mobility and intracellular glasses in seeds and pollen. Plant Physiology 118, 513541.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buitink, J., Leprince, O., Hemminga, M.A. and Hoekstra, F.A. (2000) The effects of moisture and temperature on the ageing kinetics of pollen: interpretation based on cytoplasmic mobility. Plant Cell and Environment 23, 967974.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavanagh, T. (1987) Germination of hard-seeded species (Order Fabales). pp. 5870in Langkamp, P.J. (Ed.) Germination of Australian native plant seed. Melbourne, Inkata Press.Google Scholar
Christie, W.W. (1973) Lipid analysis: Isolation, separation, identification, and structural analysis of lipids. Oxford, Pergamon Press.Google Scholar
Eira, M.T.S., Walters, C., Caldas, L.S., Fazuoli, L.C., Sampaio, J.B. and Dias, M.C.L.L. (1999) Tolerance of Coffea spp. seeds to desiccation and low temperature. Revista Brasileira de Fisiologia Vegetal 11, 97105.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H. (1998) Longevity of seeds stored hermetically at low moisture contents. Seed Science Research 8 (suppl. 1), 910.Google Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1989) A comparison of the low-moisture-content limit to the logarithmic relation between seed moisture and longevity in twelve species. Annals of Botany 63, 601611.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D., Roberts, E.H. and Tao, K.L. (1990a) Low moisture content limits to relations between seed longevity and moisture. Annals of Botany 65, 493504.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1990) An intermediate category of seed storage behaviour? 1. Coffee. Journal of Experimental Botany 41, 11671174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1992) The low-moisture-content limit to the negative logarithmic relation between seed longevity and moisture content in three subspecies of rice. Annals of Botany 69, 5358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D. and Roberts, E.H. (1995) Survival and vigour of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seeds stored at low and very-low moisture contents. Annals of Botany 76, 521534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, R.H., Hong, T.D., Astley, D., Pinnegar, A.E. and Kraak, H.L. (1996) Survival of dry and ultra-dry seeds of carrot, groundnut, lettuce, oilseed rape, and onion during five years' hermetic storage at two temperatures. Seed Science and Technology 24, 347358.Google Scholar
Fielding, J.L. and Goldsworthy, A. (1980) Tocopherol levels and ageing in wheat grains. Annals of Botany 46, 453456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hong, T.D. and Ellis, R.H. (1995) Interspecific variation in seed storage behaviour within two genera – Coffea and Citrus. Seed Science and Technology 23, 165181.Google Scholar
Hong, T.D. and Ellis, R.H. (1996) A protocol to determine seed storage behaviour. Rome, International Plant Genetic Resources Institute.Google Scholar
Hu, C., Zhang, Y., Tao, M., Hu, X. and Jiang, C. (1998) The effect of low water content on seed longevity. Seed Science Research 8(suppl. 1), 3539.Google Scholar
International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). (1985) International rules for seed testing. Seed Science and Technology 13, 299355.Google Scholar
Kong, X.H. and Zhang, H.Y. (1998) The effect of ultra-dry methods and storage on vegetable seeds. Seed Science Research 8(suppl. 1), 4145.Google Scholar
Kraak, H.L. and Vos, J. (1987) Seed viability constants for lettuce. Annals of Botany 59, 343349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leprince, O., Hendry, G.A.F. and McKersie, B.D. (1993) The mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in developing seeds. Seed Science Research 3, 231246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, M.B. (1999) Seed deterioration: physiology, repair and assessment. Seed Science and Technology 27, 177237.Google Scholar
Meney, K.A. and Dixon, K.W. (1995) In vitro propagation of Western Australian rushes (Restionaceae and related families) by embryo culture. Part 1. In vitro embryo growth. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 41, 107113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merritt, D.J., Touchell, D.H., Senaratna, T., Dixon, K.W. and Sivasithamparam, K. (2003) Water sorption characteristics of seeds of four Western Australian species. Australian Journal of Botany 51, 8592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morse, J., Whitfeld, S. and Gunn, B. (1993) Australian seed banks and cryogenic storage of rare and threatened flora. Final Consultancy Report to the Endangered Species Unit, Australian Nature Conservation Agency. Canberra, Australian Tree Seed Centre, CSIRO Division of Forestry.Google Scholar
Priestley, D.A., McBride, M.B. and Leopold, C. (1980) Tocopherol and organic free radical levels in soybean seeds during natural and accelerated aging. Plant Physiology 66, 715719.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pritchard, H.W., Poynter, A.L.C. and Seaton, P.T. (1999) Interspecific variation in orchid seed longevity in relation to ultra-dry storage and cryopreservation. Lindleyana 14, 92101.Google Scholar
Pukacka, S. (1991) Changes in membrane lipid components and antioxidant levels during natural ageing of seeds of Acer platanoides. Physiologia Plantarum 82, 306310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rao, N.K., Roberts, E.H. and Ellis, R.H. (1987) Loss of viability in lettuce seeds and the accumulation of chromosome damage under different storage conditions. Annals of Botany 60, 8596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, E.H. and Ellis, R.H. (1989) Water and seed survival. Annals of Botany 63, 3952.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rokich, D.P., Dixon, K.W., Sivasithamparam, K. and Meney, K.A. (2000) Topsoil handling and storage effects on woodland restoration in Western Australia. Restoration Ecology 8, 196208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Senaratna, T. and McKersie, B.D. (1986) Loss of desiccation tolerance during seed germination: A free radical mechanism of injury. pp. 85102in Leopold, A.C. (Ed.) Membranes, metabolism, and dry organisms. Ithaca, Comstock Publishing.Google Scholar
Senaratna, T., McKersie, B.D. and Stinson, R.H. (1985) Antioxidant levels in germinating soybean seed axes in relation to free radical and dehydration tolerance. Plant Physiology 78, 168171.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Senaratna, T., Gusse, J.F. and McKersie, B.D. (1988) Age-induced changes in cellular membranes of imbibed soybean seed axes. Physiologia Plantarum 73, 8591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, M.T. and Berjak, P. (1995) Deteriorative changes associated with the loss of viability of stored desiccation-tolerant and desiccation-sensitive seeds. pp. 701746in Kigel, J.;Galili, G., (Eds) Seed development and germination. New York, Marcel Dekker.Google Scholar
Tieu, A., Dixon, K.W., Meney, K.A. and Sivasithamparam, K. (2001) The interaction of heat and smoke in the release of seed dormancy in seven species from southwestern Western Australia. Annals of Botany 88, 259265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Touchell, D.H., Richardson, M. and Dixon, K.W. (1997) Germplasm conservation guidelines for Australia. Canberra, Australian Network for Plant Conservation.Google Scholar
Vertucci, C.W. and Roos, E.E. (1990) Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage. Plant Physiology 94, 10191023.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vertucci, C.W. and Roos, E.E. (1993) Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage II. The influence of temperature on optimal moisture levels. Seed Science Research 3, 201213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vertucci, C.W., Roos, E.E. and Crane, J. (1994) Theoretical basis of protocols for seed storage III. Optimum moisture contents for pea seeds stored at different temperatures. Annals of Botany 74, 531540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walters, C. (1998a) Understanding the mechanisms and kinetics of seed aging. Seed Science Research 8, 223244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walters, C. (1998b) Ultra-dry technology: Perspective from the National Seed Storage Laboratory, USA. Seed Science Research 8 (suppl. 1), 1114.Google Scholar
Walters, C. and Engels, J. (1998) The effects of storing seeds under extremely dry conditions. Seed Science Research 8 (suppl. 1), 38.Google Scholar
Wilson, D.O. and McDonald, M.B. (1986) The lipid peroxidation model of seed aging. Seed Science and Technology 14, 269300.Google Scholar
Winston, P.W. and Bates, D.H. (1960) Saturated solutions for the control of humidity in biological research. Ecology 41, 232237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zewdie, M. and Ellis, R.H. (1991) Survival of tef and niger seeds following exposure to sub-zero temperatures at various moisture contents. Seed Science and Technology 19, 309317.Google Scholar