Overcoming seed dormancy of mooseer(Allium hirtifolium) through cold stratification,gibberellic acid,and acid scarification

Mooseer （Allium hirtifolium Boiss.） is bulbous perennial herb widely used in pharmaceutical and food industry in Iran. We studied germination of mooseer seeds in two separate experiments. In the first experiment, we evaluated four treatments： sulfuric acid scarification, sandpaper scarification, cold stratification, and gibberellic acid （GA3） application. In the second experiment, we evaluated combinations of these treatments. All treatments in the first experiment had no effect on seed germination, suggesting that mooseer seeds have physical and physiological dormancy. In the second experiment, the highest germina- tion percentage （86.6%） was observed after five minutes scarification with sulfuric acid （75% v/v）, followed by 60 days of cold stratification. Duration of sulfuric acid scarification （5, 10, and 20 min） did not affect germination rates, but increasing duration of cold stratification （from 15 to 60 days）, increased germination from 28.3% to 86.6%. Our study showed that mooseer seeds have both physical and physiological dormancy.

Pre-sowing treatment for breaking dormancy in Acer velutinum Boiss. seed lots

Acer velutinum Boiss is a valuable tree species native to Iran, and its seeds possess physiological dormancy that hampers seedling production in the nursery for large-scale reforestation efforts. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal dormancy breaking treatments for A. velutinum seeds. We conducted a factorial experiment involving six seed lots collected along an elevation gradient from 300 to 1800 m at 300 m interval and four cold-moist stratification periods （0, 4, 8 and 16 weeks） at 4℃ and 70% relative humidity. The result shows that the germination of cold-moist stratified seeds was significantly （p 〈 0.0001） higher than the control for all seed lots. The highest germination capacity was recorded after 16 weeks of cold-moist stratification for all seed lots （68% 88% depending on the seed lot） except those collected from mid altitude sites （600 and 900 m） that germinated equally well （≥ 75%） after 4and 8-week of clod-moist stratification compared to the other seed lots. The mean germination time was significantly shorter （12 to 19 days, depending on the seed lot） for seeds stratified for 16 weeks than for untreated seeds. It can be concluded that： （1） cold-moist stratification for 16 weeks is the best pre-sowing treatment for breaking dormancy in A. velutinum seeds; and （2） seeds should be collected from mid altitude sites （600 and 900 m） to get more than 80% germination within 15 days, and these seed lots even required shorter cold-moist stratification period（eight weeks） than other seed lots.

Dormancy release and germination of Echinochloa crus-galli grains in relation to galactomannan-hydrolysing enzyme activity

Echinochloa crus-galli, one of the world＇s most serious weeds, influences seriously the yield and quality of cereal crop plant.It is well known that E.crus-galli grain is dormant, but its dormant type, as well as its dormancy release and germination in relation to galactomannan-hydrolysing enzyme activity were poorly understood.The cooperation of endo-β-mannanase（EC 3.2.1.78）, β-mannosidase（EC 3.2.1.25） and α-galactosidase（EC 3.2.1.22） can hydrolyze the cell walls rich in mannan-based polymers.In the present paper, the mature grains are used as experimental materials, we investigated the water uptake of grains, the effect of removing partial endosperm, after-ripening, stratification and phytohormone on grain germination, and the change in endo-β-mannanase, β-mannosidase and α-galactosidase activities of grains during after-ripening and germination.The results showed that the freshly-collected grains were water-permeable and had only phase I and II of water uptake, while the grains after-ripened for 150 d had an obvious phase III of water uptake.In alternating photoperiod, the germination of grains freshly-collected was zero at 10–35°C, and that of half grains was 11% at 20°C only.The grain germination was notably promoted by after-ripening and stratification, but not by gibberellic acid and 6-benzyladenine at 0.0001–1 mmol L–1.β-Mannosidase activity increased during 0 to 300 d of after-ripening and then decreased.The activity of endo-β-mannanase and α-galactosidase of grains decreased with after-ripening.During grain germination, endo-β-mannanase and β-mannosidase activities obviously increased, while α-galactosidase activity decreased.Our data showed that E.crus-galli grain was a deep physiological dormant, the dormancy release by after-ripening was related to an increasing β-mannosidase activity, and its germination was closely associated with an increasing endo-β-mannanase and β-mannosidase activity; which have provided new knowledge to decrease the harm of E.crus-galli on production of cereal crop plant.

Dormancy Breaking and Storage Behavior of Garcinia cowa Roxb. （Guttiferae） Seeds： Implications for Ecological Function and Germplasm Conservation

Abstract: The dormancy breaking and storage behavior of Garcinia cowa Roxb. seeds were investigated. The seeds of G. cowa had 8–11 months dormancy in their natural habitat. Seeds were matured and dispersed at the end of the rainy season (mid-late August to late September) and were scatter-hoarded by rodents as food for winter after the seeds had fallen to the ground. Seedlings often emerged in the forest during the rainy season (May to August) the following year. Intact seeds of G. cowa failed to germinate after being sown at 30 °C for 120 d and the mean germination time (MGT) of seeds cultured in a shade (50% sunlight) nursery was 252 d. The most effective method of breaking dormancy was to remove the seed coat totally, which reduced the MGT to 13 d at 30 °C. Germination was also promoted by partial removal of the seed coat (excising the hilum and exposing the radicle) and chemical scarification (immersion in 1% H2O2 for 1 d). Unscarified seeds take up water rapidly in the first 96 h, but water was absorbed by the outside seed coat, without penetrating through it. The moisture content (MC) of G. cowa seeds was high (50% in fresh weight) at shedding. The seeds could tolerate desiccation to some extent, until the MC reached approximately 40%; below that, the viability decreases rapidly and all seeds died at approximately 17% of MC. Seed viability decreased rapidly when seeds were chilled at 4 °C; germination was 2% after storage for 1 week. Even stored at 10 °C, seeds began to be damaged after 4 weeks. Seed storage for 1 yr revealed that in both dry (relative humidity (35 ± 5)%) and moist (wet sand) storage conditions, seed viability declined, but germination percentages for seeds stored under moist conditions are better than for seed stored under dry conditions. Because of their low tolerance to desiccation, marked chilling sensitivity and relatively short lifespan, G. cowa seeds should be classified into the tropical recalcitrant category. The ecological implications of dormant recalcitrant seeds and cues on storing recalcitrant seeds were discussed.