The roles of inorganic nitrogen salts in maintaining phytochrome- and gibberellin A3-mediated germination control in skotodormant lettuce seeds

Abstract

Skotodormant seeds of Lactuca sativa Grand Rapids imbibed in darkness for 10 days (10-day DS) germinated poorly upon terminal treatment with red light (R) or gibberellin A3 (GA3). Inorganic nitrogen salts in the imbibition solutions reduced seed skotodormancy. Ten-day DS seeds, imbibed in 25 mm salt solutions followed by terminal R, germinated 99% if imbibed in NH4NO3, 70% if imbibed in KNO3 or NH4Cl, and 55% if imbibed in NaNO3. Seeds imbibed in higher salt concentrations germinated fully upon terminal R treatment. Seeds imbibed in 25 mm NH4Cl or in 50 mm NH4NO3 germinated completely upon GA3 treatment. Osmotic effects of imbibition media accounted for only part of the effect, since seeds imbibed in 50 mm CaCl2 or NaCl germinated poorly following R or GA3 treatment. Seeds imbibed in 500 mm polyethylene glycol (PEG) 1000 or mannitol solutions for 10 days still exhibited skotodormancy. Treatments of R or GA3 did not stimulate germination in seeds imbibed in mannitol, but germination was complete if seeds were given 1-h acid immersion plus a water rinse before the terminal R or GA3 treatment. Seeds imbibed in 50–500 mm PEG during 10-day DS germinated significantly better in response to terminal R. Terminal GA3 significantly improved germination only in seeds imbibed at 500 mm PEG. Pfr appeared to function in mannitol-imbibed seed only after an acid treatment. Seed exposure to inorganic nitrogen salts during the 10-day DS maintained seed sensitivity to terminal R or GA3 treatment. The depth of seed skotodormancy was related to the availability of inorganic nitrogen and also involved the levels of Pfr or endogenous GA3.