Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T05:28:24.711Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Biochemical events during germination and early growth of somatic embryos and seed of interior spruce (Picea glauca engelmanni complex)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

D. R. Cyr ,
F. B. Webster  and
D. R. Roberts
D. R. Cyr*
Affiliation:
Forest Biotechnology Centre, British Columbia Research Corporation, 3650 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6S 2L2, Canada
F. B. Webster
Affiliation:
Forest Biotechnology Centre, British Columbia Research Corporation, 3650 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6S 2L2, Canada
D. R. Roberts
Affiliation:
Forest Biotechnology Centre, British Columbia Research Corporation, 3650 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6S 2L2, Canada
*
* Correspondence
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Utilization of lipid and protein storage reserves was examined during germination and early growth of somatic and excised seed embryos in vitro, and seed of interior spruce. High germination frequencies were recorded for somatic and excised seed embryos, and elongation of radicles and hypocotyls observed for both embryo types. Although elongation of the embryo types differed (i.e. somatic ≤ excised seed < seed), fresh weight gain was similar. Utilization of triglycerides in somatic embryos was more rapid than in excised seed and seed embryos, thus it appeared to be under embryo infuence. By contrast, depletion of storage proteins appeared to be influenced by the megagametophyte, with hydrolysis in somatic and excised seed embryos preceding that of the seed embryo by 2 days. Differential utilization of the storage reserves was temporally associated with differences in growth patterns of somatic and seed embryos. The evidence presented indicates that the in vitro germination medium does not entirely supplant the role of the megagametophyte during germination and early growth. The relevance of these results to artificial seed technology is discussed.

Keywords

germinationmegagametophyteseedembryosomatic embryostorage proteintriglycerides
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , June 1991 , pp. 91 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bewley, J.D. and Black, M., (1978) Physiology and biochemistry of seeds in relation to their germination. New York, Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bewley, J.D. and Black, M., (1985) Seeds: physiology of development and germination. New York, Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conkey, J.H. and Feirer, R.P., (1988) Determination of triglycerides in plant tissues. The Institute of Paper Chemistry Technical Paper, Series No. 316. Appleton, WI, USA.Google Scholar
Cyr, D.R. and Bewley, J.D., (1990) Seasonal variation in nitrogen storage reserves in the roots of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) and responses to decapitation and defoliation. Physiologia Plantarum 78, 361–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Carli, M.P., Baldan, B. and Rascio, N., (1987) Subcellular and physiological changes in Picea excelsa seeds during germination. Cytobios 50, 29–39.Google Scholar
Durzan, D.J., Mia, A.J. and Ramaiah, P.K., (1971) The metabolism and subcellular organization of the jack pine embryo (Pinus banksiana) during germination. Canadian Journal of Botany 49, 927–938.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feirer, R.P., Conkey, J.H. and Verhagen, S.A., (1989) Triglycerides in embryogenic conifer calli: a comparison with zygotic embryos. Plant Cell Reports 8, 207–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flinn, B.S., Webb, D.T. and Newcomb, W. (1989) Morphometric analysis of reserve substances and ultrastructural changes during caulogenic determination and loss of competence of Eastern White pine (Pinus strobus) cotyledons in vitro. Canadian Journal of Botany 67, 779–789.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flinn, B.S., Roberts, D.R., Webb, D.T. and Sutton, B.C.S., (1991) Storage protein changes during zygotic embryogenesis in interior spruce. Tree Physiology 8, 71–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flinn, B.S., Roberts, D.R. and Taylor, I.E.P., Evaluation of somatic embryos of interior spruce. I. Characterization and developmental regulation of storage proteins. Physiologia Plantarum (in press).Google Scholar
Gifford, D.J. and Tolley, M.C., (1989) The seed proteins of white spruce and their mobilization following germination. Physiologia Plantarum 77, 254–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hakman, I. and von Arnold, S., (1985) Plantlet regeneration through somatic embryogenesis in Picea abies (Norway spruce). Journal of Plant Physiology 121, 149–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kovac, M. and Kregar, I., (1989) Protein metabolism in silver fir seeds during germination. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 27, 35–41.Google Scholar
Kovac, M. and Vardjan, M., (1981) Metabolism of lipids in fir seeds (Abies alba Mill.). Acta Botanica Croatia 40, 95–190.Google Scholar
Laemmli, U.K., (1970) Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227, 680–685.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lammer, D.L. and Gifford, D.J., (1989) Lodgepole pine seed germination. II. The seed proteins and their mobilization in the megagametophyte and embryonic axis. Canadian Journal of Botany 67, 2544–2551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Libby, W.J., (1986) Clonal propagation. Journal of Forestry 84, 37–42.Google Scholar
Moore, S. and Stein, W.H., (1948) Photometric ninhydrin method for use in the chromatography of amino acids. Journal of Biological Chemistry 176, 367–388.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pitel, J.A. and Cheliak, W.M., (1988) Metabolism of enzymes with imbibition and germination of seeds of jack pine (Pinus banksiana). Canadian Journal of Botany 66, 542–547.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Redenbaugh, K., (1990) Application of artificial seed to tropical crops. HortScience 25, 251–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, D.R., Flinn, B.S., Webb, D.T., Webster, F.B. and Sutton, B.C.S. (1990a) Abscisic acid and indole-3-butyric acid regulation of maturation and accumulation of storage proteins in somatic embryos of interior spruce. Physiologia Plantarum 78, 355–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, D.R., Sutton, B.C.S. and Flinn, B.S., (1990b) Synchronous and high frequency germination of interior spruce somatic embryos following partial drying at high relative humidity. Canadian Journal of Botany 68, 1086–1089.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salmia, M.A., (1981) Proteinase activities in resting and germinating seeds of Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris. Physiologia Plantarum 53, 39–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shoemaker, R.C., Christofferson, S.E. and Galbraith, D.W., (1987) Storage protein accumulation in somatic embryos of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Plant Cell Reports 6, 12–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stuart, D.A., Nelson, J. and Nichol, J.W., (1988) Expression of 7S and 11S alfalfa seed storage proteins in somatic embryos. Journal of Plant Physiology 132, 134–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutton, B., Flanagan, D., Gawley, J., Newton, C., Lester, D. and EI-Kassaby, Y., Inheritance of chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA in Picea and composition of hybrids from introgression zones. Theoretical and Applied Genetics (in press).Google Scholar
von Arnold, S. and Eriksson, T., (1977) A revised medium for growth of pea mesophyll protoplasts. Physiologia Plantarum 39, 257–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, D.T., Webster, F., Flinn, B.S., Roberts, D.R. and Ellis, D.D., (1989) Factors influencing the induction of embryogenic and caulogenic callus from embryos of Picea glauca and P. engelmanii. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 19, 1303–1308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webster, F.B., Roberts, D.R., McInnis, S.M. and Sutton, B.C.S. (1990) Propagation of interior spruce by somatic embryogenesis. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 20, 1759–1765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar