Abstract
Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger L.), an economically important medicinal plant, has an endangered status in Himachal Pradesh (India) that needs appropriate conservation interventions. We have examined seed physiological aspects of H. niger from Lahaul (Himachal Pradesh, India), a cold desert region. The freshly harvested seeds exhibited complete dormancy. Gibberellic acid (GA3) and chilling treatment strongly promoted seed germination which was accompanied by increased α-amylase activity. KNO3, NaN3 and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, also promoted germination. During storage, the seeds retained high viability even after a storage of 72 months under ambient conditions. However, they remained dormant during the entire storage period. The responsiveness of seeds to GA3 and chilling treatment gradually declined with progression of storage period. Concomitantly, the triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) reduction ability of seeds was lowered. The seed responsiveness to KNO3, NaN3 and SNP during storage increased until one year and decreased thereafter. With the progression of the storage period, seeds exhibited elevated lipid peroxidation and reduced catalase activity implying a role of oxidative stress in observed changes. The involvement of phenolics in seed dormancy of H. niger was not evident. The findings are of significance for conservation and cultivation of H. niger through seeds in the arid mountain region.
Highlights
Introduction area ofLahaul (latitude 32° 8’ and 32° 59’ N, Seed germination assaysHyoscyamus niger L. (Solanaceae), commonly known as henbane, is an important multipurpose medicinal plant
We have examined seed physioly logical aspects of H. niger from Lahaul (Himachal Pradesh, India), a cold desert n region
We reported the stimulation of seed germination by GA3 and KNO3 in a H. niger population from Lahaul, a cold desert region in Himachal Pradesh.[6]
Summary
Catalase activity was assayed polarographically by measuring the H2O2 dependent oxygen evolution at room temperature with an oxygen electrode unit (Hansatech, UK). The seeds were homogenized with chilled Na-phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) and centrifuged at 10,000 g for 5 min at 4°C. The surface-sterilized n seeds were soaked in aqueous solution of 0.2% o potassium nitrate (KNO3), 1 mM sodium nitroprusside (SNP), 0.1 mM sodium azide (NaN3), e respectively for 24 h, before subjecting to gers mination conditions; iv) GA3 treatment. The u surface-sterilized seeds were soaked in aqueous solutions of gibberellic acid (0.1 and 1.0 l mM) for 24 h followed by germination on moist ia substratum; v) acid-scarification + GA3 (1 c mM). M α-amylase activity α-amylase activity was assayed following m the method described by Filner and Varner.[9] o Seeds were homogenized with chilled Tris-HCl c buffer (pH 7.2) and centrifuged at 10,000 g for - 10 min at 4°C. The catalase activity was calculated through electrode calibration and slopes obtained on chart paper
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