Abstract
Germination of dormant Chenopodium album L. seed in response to ethephon and (or) KNO3, following experimental manipulation of the endogenous seed nitrate content, was studied to ascertain if the dormancy-breaking effect of ethylene was dependent on seed nitrate content. The seed originally contained a high (854 μg∙g dry weight−1) endogenous level of nitrate. Ethephon (100 mg∙L−1) induced over 70% germination in darkness at 22 °C, compared with 8% in the untreated controls. Application of KNO3 (1.01 g∙L−1), alone or together with ethephon, had a relatively minor effect. Elution of endogenous nitrate with distilled water for up to 72 h resulted in a marked decline in the response of seed to ethephon. Application of exogenous nitrate together with ethephon restored the lost sensitivity of seed towards ethephon. The results confirm that nitrate, specifically, modulates the dormancy-breaking action of ethylene on C. album seed
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 876-878 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Canadian Journal of Botany |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1987 |
| Externally published | Yes |