Seed germination in Chenopodium album L. further evidence for the dependence of the effects of growth regulators on nitrate availability

H. S. Saini, P. K. BASSI, M. S. SPENCER

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Chenopodium album L. plants, grown under controlled environmental conditions on different levels of soil nitrate, produced seeds with proportionately different NO3 contents. Regardless of the endogenous NO3 content, few seeds germinated in water or upon treatment with KNO3. Ethylene promoted germination, and the extent of germination was positively correlated with the endogenous seed NO3 content. Combined application of ethylene and KNO3 in the dark had a synergistic effect on NO3 ‐deficient seed. The synergism between ethylene and KNO3 was attributable to the NO3 moiety of the nitrate salt. Ethylene and light showed moderate synergism in seeds with low or high endogenous nitrate. Addition of nitrate, however, masked the interaction between ethylene and light. Gibberellic acid4+7 (GA4+7) or red light, each alone or combined with KNO3, had little effect on germination. When applied together in the dark, ethylene and GA4+7 synergistically enhanced the germination of NO3‐deficient seed. The combined effects of the two hormones on this seed were further enhanced by the addition of KNO3. There was no synergism between ethylene and GA4+7 in NO3‐rich seed. These interactions among GA4+7, ethylene and KNO3 were not affected by light. The results confirm and further elaborate our earlier finding that the sensitivity of C. album seeds to ethylene may depend on nitrate availability.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)707-711
Number of pages5
JournalPlant, Cell & Environment
Volume8
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1985
Externally publishedYes

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