In order to explore the mechanism of delayed and uneven germination in sharp tooth oak (Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata) (STO), mechanical scarification techniques were used to study STO root and shoot germination and growth. The techniques used were: removing cup scar (RS), removing the pericarp (RP), and cutting off 1/2 (HC) and 2/3 (TC) cotyledons. Germination percentage and root and shoot ...

Selecting seeds for long-term storage is a key factor for food hoarding animals. Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus) remove the pericarp and scatter hoard sound acorns of Quercus mongolica over those that are insect-infested to maximize returns from caches. We have no knowledge of whether these chipmunks remove the pericarp from acorns of other species of oaks and if this behavior benefits se...

After fertilization, filial grain organs are surrounded by the maternal nucellus embedded within the integuments and pericarp. Rapid early endosperm growth must be coordinated with maternal tissue development. Parameters of maternal tissue growth and development were analysed during early endosperm formation. In the pericarp, cell proliferation is accomplished around the time of fertilization, ...

Growth of young pea (Pisum sativum) fruit (pericarp) requires developing seeds or, in the absence of seeds, treatment with gibberellin (GA) or auxin (4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid). This study examined the role of seeds and hormones in the regulation of cell division and elongation in early pea fruit development. Profiling histone H2A and gamma-tonoplast intrinsic protein (TIP) gene expression d...

Mature lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruit were heat-treated at 60C for 10 min to study heat-induced pericarp browning. Polyphenol oxidase (EC 1.10.3.2) activity of the pericarp increased immediately, corresponding with rapid anthocyanin degradation, Tissue browning was observed 2 min after heating, with pigmentation distributed uniformly throughout the pericarp. The distribution of brown pig...

Understanding how the fruit microclimate affects ascorbate (AsA) biosynthesis, oxidation and recycling is a great challenge in improving fruit nutritional quality. For this purpose, tomatoes at breaker stage were harvested and placed in controlled environment conditions at different temperatures (12, 17, 23, 27 and 31 °C) and irradiance regimes (darkness or 150 µmol m(-2) s(-1)). Fruit pericarp...

The maize (Zea mays) p1 (for pericarp color1) gene encodes an R2R3 Myb-like transcription factor that regulates the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in floral organs, most notably kernel pericarp and cob. Alleles of the p1 gene condition distinct tissue-specific pigmentation patterns; to elucidate the molecular basis of these allele-specific expression patterns, we characterized two novel P1-rw (...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The relationship between ethylene production and both seed dormancy and germination was investigated using red rice (weedy rice) as a model species. METHODS Both fully dormant and after-ripened (non-dormant) naked caryopses were incubated with or without inhibitors of ethylene synthesis [aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG)] and perception [silver thiosulfate (STS)], or in the pr...