Salix variegata Franch, a prominent plant applied in riparian shelter vegetation in Three Gorges reservoir region of China, produces many seeds every year but generates only a few or no seedlings. Whether the low seedling production of S. variegata is caused by seed sterility or by rapid loss of seed viability remains unknown. We investigated the sojourn time of mature seeds in capsules produce...

Although there are several reports concerned with the nucleotides of seedlings (e.g. Bergkvist, 1956, 1957; Sebesta & gorm, 1959; Abdel-Wahab & El-Kinawi, 1959, 1960; Cherry & Hageman, 1961), little is known of the free nucleotides of mature seeds. The aims of the work described in this paper are to identify the major nucleotide components in mature pea seeds, to estimate their relative concent...

In this paper, we studied polyetheneglycol (PEG) pretreatment effect on the mature embryo culture in vitro by using barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seeds. Meanwhile, we analyzed and assayed its mineral element and endogenous hormone level. The experimental results were as follows: (1) PEG-6000 imbibition could obviously slow down the water timecourse absorbed by barley seeds; (2) 10% PEG-6000 treat...

A survey was conducted to determine the density and species composition of viable seeds buried in four stands of a tropical montane forest at Parque Estadual Intervales, Brazil. The objective was to understand: (1) how numbers and composition of the soil seed bank change as the forest regrows, and (2) how such changes affect the species available for regeneration if forests of different ages ar...

For production of high quality grape berries, the whole cluster should ripen at one time. The lack of uniform ripening within a cluster is termed "uneven ripening," and is characterized by the presence of green berries in an otherwise mature ripe cluster. Uneven ripening of 'Concord' is a major problem in the South, often prohibiting production. Northwest Arkansas is the southern boundary for c...

Abscisic acid (ABA) markedly reduced the germination of developing seeds at much lower concentrations (ABA50=0.1 mM) compared with that of mature seeds (ABA50=1.6 mM) in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Green long). The perisperm-endosperm (PE) envelope in developing seeds showed partly differentiated lipid and callose layers, considerable ABA biosynthetic activity in endosperm cells, and appre...

The alpha' and beta subunits of soybean beta-conglycinin were expressed in rice seeds in order to improve the nutritional and physiological properties of rice as a food. The alpha' subunit accumulated in rice seeds at a higher level than the beta subunit, but no detectable difference in mRNA transcription level between subunits was observed. Sequential extraction results indicate that the alpha...

Immature (8-mm), medium mature (11-mm), and mature green (16- and 17-mm) bean seeds (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Kentucky Wonder and Bountiful) were incubated in gibberellin A(1) solutions for 24 hours at 20 degrees . Extracts from the seeds were separated into nonacidic, acidic ethyl acetate, and acidic butanol fractions. These were chromatographed. The eluates of the chromatograms were tested o...