Carbohydrate Content Of Seeds Research Articles

Effects of carbohydrate content in seeds on the germination and viability after cryopreservation

This article is devoted to the study of the influence of cryopreservation on the preservation of sowing qualities of seeds of representatives of the genus Picea: P. asperata (Rough spruce) and P. pungens (Spiny spruce). As an alternative shock method of cryopreservation, the method of step-by-step 3-step temperature reduction was used 1 stage +4 °C, 2 stage –18 °C, 3 stage –196 °C liquid nitrogen. Additionally, the effect of 4 time intervals (1 hour, 24 hours, 72 hours and 168 hours) of step freezing on seed quality was investigated. To explain the results by photometry, the total carbohydrate content of the seeds is determined before the 3rd freezing step (cryo interaction). The analysis of the results of germination showed that the seeds of the studied species respond in different directions to the step cryo freezing. So, seeds of P. asperata germination in all tree experimental variants are higher on 4–32 % than in the control variant; and the maximum results are revealed in the variant with time intervals of 168 hours. For P. pungens seeds, the germination rates in experimental variants were on 18–22 % lower than in the control; and the largest germination rate of seeds among experimental variations are revealed in variant with interval 24 hours. The determination of the total carbohydrate content of the tested seeds at different cryogenic freezing intervals found that this indicator varied significantly depending on the time interval. The lowest values of total carbohydrates are found in variation with a time interval — 24 hours. The maximum total carbohydrate content is determined in a variation with a time interval — 1 hour. Correlation analysis between seed germination indices and total carbohydrate content established a high relationship between these indices. So, for P. asperata, the value of the Pearson coefficient was 0.86, and for P. pungens seeds — 0.91.

The Nutrient Uptake Efficiency, Crop Productivity and Quality of Rice Bean in Dry Land

Rice bean is a group of beans that are rich in carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This plant is resistant to pests and diseases, as well as the broad adaptability. This study aims to obtain an efficient fertilization pattern on rice bean cultivation in dry land. The treatments consisted of 9 fertilization patterns which were RP0: no fertilizer (control); RP1: 100% recommendation fertilizer (50 kg Urea and 100 kg SP-36 ha-1); RP2: 5 Mg ha-1 manure plus 50% recommendation fertilizer; RP3: RP2 plus MVA; RP4: 5 Mg ha-1 Crotalaria sp compost plus 50% recommendation fertilizer; RP5: RP4 plus VAM; RP6: 2.5 t ha-1 manure, 2.5 Mg ha-1 Crotalaria sp compost plus 50% recommendation fertilizer; RP7: 1.5 Mg ha-1 manure, 1 Mg ha-1 Crotalaria sp compost plus 50% recommendation fertilizer; RP8: RP7 plus MVA. Fertilization treatments were arranged in RCBD and each treatment was repeated 3 times. The fertilization treatments had no significant effect on NUE. Productivity of rice bean in RP3 and RP5 reached 3.75 Mg ha-1, in RP2 and RP4 achieved 2.64 Mg ha-1, and in the control treatment reached 1.94 Mg ha-1. Carbohydrate content in seeds increased by 20% in the fertilization treatments compared to the control. Protein and anthocyanin content in all treatments were not significantly different. The combination of 5 Mg organic fertilizer (manure and / or Crotalaria compost), 50% recommendation fertilizer plus MVA was an efficient fertilization pattern to improve P fertilizer uptake efficiency (PUE), productivity and quality of rice bean crop in dry land. [How to Cite: Lolita ES, UM Yakop, L Ujianto, and B Hari Kusumo. 2015. The Nutrient Uptake Efficiency, Crop Productivity and Quality of Rice Bean in Dry Land. J Trop Soils 19: 1-9. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2015.20.1.1][Permalink/DOI: www.dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2015.20.1.1]

Carbohydrate Content and Root Growth in Seeds Germinated Under Salt Stress

Sugars and sugar alcohols have well-documented roles in salt tolerance of whole plants and maturing seeds. Less is known, however, about possible effects of these compounds during germination. Seeds from mannitol-accumulating salt-tolerant celery [Apium graveolens L. var. dulce (P. Mill.) DC], non-mannitol-accumulating salt-tolerant cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L. ‘Golden Acre’), and salt-sensitive non-mannitol-accumulating tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) and arabidopsis [Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.] were placed on vertical Phytagel plates containing 0 to 300 mm NaCl. Germination percentage, root elongation, and carbohydrate content of seeds and seedlings were assessed. With the exception of cabbage, there was no positive relationship between ability to germinate in NaCl and the reported species salt tolerance of the mature plant. For instance, while cabbage seeds germinated in 300 mm NaCl, germination of two celery cultivars was inhibited completely by 150 mm NaCl. In contrast, seeds from salt-sensitive tobacco and arabidopsis germinated in 200 mm NaCl. There was also no obvious relationship between the observed salt tolerance and total soluble carbohydrates in either non-imbibed seeds or in seedlings germinated in salt. For example, the most-salt tolerant species in these studies, cabbage, had the third highest seed and seedling carbohydrate concentration, while the next most tolerant, arabidopsis, had the lowest. However, both species contained significant amounts of the osmoprotective oligosaccharides raffinose or stachyose. In addition, although celery seedling mannitol concentration initially increased at low NaCl concentrations (50 mm), germination and mannitol concentration decreased at higher NaCl concentrations (100 mm). Finally, the broadest response observed was a large increase in seedling sucrose at the lowest salt concentration that significantly inhibited germination. Although most seeds, with the notable exception of cabbage, did not germinate at 150 mm NaCl, they were still metabolically active because the sucrose content was two to eight times higher than in non-imbibed seeds, suggesting a possible role for sucrose in salt-stressed germinating seeds. These results not only suggest that mechanisms providing salt tolerance in mature plants are different from those in germinating seeds, but also that, even when the same mechanisms are employed, they may be less effective in seeds.

Comments on relationships between native seed preferences of shrub-steppe granivores and seed nutritional characteristics.

Kelrick et al. (1986) argued that seed preferences of desert granivores are strongly influenced by soluble carbohydrate contents of native seed species. They assumed that bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) seeds are eaten in their entirety by rodents, but in fact these granivores eat only embryos of bitterbrush seeds. Embryos have a much lower percentage of soluble carbohydrate than whole bitterbrush seeds, and the correlation between preference and soluble carbohydrate content of seeds for six native species becomes non-significant when embryo values are substituted for whole-seed values.