Adenosine triphosphate and adenylate energy charge in relation to dormancy of wild oat seeds

Abstract

Adenosine phosphates, expressed as ATP and energy charge levels, were compared in genetically identical dormant and nondormant caryopses of wild oat (Avena fatua L.). Air-dry nondormant caryopses had a larger pool of ATP and a higher energy charge than dormant caryopses. During the early hours of imbibition of water by dormant caryopses, ATP levels and energy charge increased indicating they are not limiting factors for germination. Moreover, during the induction of germination in dormant caryopses by gibberellic acid (GA3), changes in energy charge were similar to those observed on water, indicating that GA3 does not overcome dormancy simply by elevating energy charge levels. In a second study, ATP and energy charge were measured in initially dormant caryopses incubated under conditions of temperature that either removed or retained dormancy. Both embryo and endosperm extracts demonstrated correlations between levels of ATP or energy charge with temperature of incubation but not with the state of dormancy. The conclusions drawn from both lines of investigation do not support the hypothesis that release of dormancy is related to the metabolism of adenosine phosphates in caryopses of wild oat.