Temperature and Water Status of Seed Affect Afterripening in Wild Oat (Avena fatua)

Abstract

Dormant wild oat seed require afterripening under warm-dry conditions for conversion to a nondormant state capable of germination. Research was conducted to determine the relationship between temperature and seed moisture levels on afterripening of dormant wild oat line M73 seed, and to evaluate the status of water binding in the dormant seed. Conversion of dormant wild oat seed to a nondormant state at 20 to 40 C occurs primarily in the range of 5 to 20% seed moisture. There is an inverse relationship between temperature and seed moisture content for afterripening as measured by seed germination. As the afterripening temperature increases, the seed moisture content must decrease for maximum afterripening (germination) to occur. Moisture isotherms and derived enthalpy curves indicate three regions of water binding which reflect decreased binding of water to seed components as the moisture content in the dormant seed increases. Maximum afterripening, in the second region of water binding, corresponds to seed moisture contents of 7 to 22%. In this region water is weakly associated with macromolecular surfaces and begins to have solvent properties. Because afterripening occurs mainly in the second region of water binding it is likely that individual enzymatic and nonenzymatic reactions, rather than metabolic processes, mediate the conversion of wild oat seed to the nondormant state.