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Seed stability during storage: Raffinose content and seed glassy state1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

I. Bernal-Lugo  and
A. C. Leopold
I. Bernal-Lugo*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Bioquimica, DBF. Facultad de Quimica, UNAM. Mexico D.F. 04510, Mexico.
A. C. Leopold
Affiliation:
Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, New York 14852, USA
*
*Correspondence
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Abstract

It has been proposed that sucrose and raffinose play a role in the storability of maize seeds. The levels of these sugars in the embryos and the glassy state were compared in maize seeds of contrasting storage stability to determine the relationship between sugar composition, glassy state and the storability of the seed. Sucrose was the predominant sugar but its content was not correlated with good storage. The content of raffinose as a mass fraction of total sugars and the magnitude of the glassy state showed positive correlations with storage stability. It is suggested that in maize seeds dry storage stability is a reflection not of the total soluble sugars, but of the mixture of sucrose with raffinose. Apparently raffinose amplifies the magnitude of the glass signal and this in turn is associated with enhanced storability.

Keywords

glass statemaizeraffinoseseed ageingstorabilitysucrosesugarsZea mays L.
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , June 1995 , pp. 75 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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Footnotes

1

IBL gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Fullbright Scholar Progam.

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