The seed reserves of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) are starch, located exclusively in the perisperm, and lipids, proteins and a small quantity of soluble sugars, located mainly in the cotyledons. It is shown that lipids are the main respiratory substrate used during germination whereas starch and remaining lipids are only hydrolysed after root extrusion, to sustain root and hypocotyl growth. By removing the perisperm during imbibition, it was demonstrated that lipids and proteins alone are sufficient for viable seedling development, though such seedlings grew less than those developing in the presence of perisperm. The utilization of seed reserves was followed during seedling development in the dark in various organs. At 20°C, the reserves were sufficient for 8 d of growth in the dark, the hypocotyl attaining a length of 5 cm. Specific problems relating to field establishment of sugar beet are discussed in relation to these results.

Seed development and changes in germination ability and longevity were monitored in two spring and two winter cultivars of each of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat(Triticum aestivum L.). Physiological maturity (end of the seed-filling period) occurred between 31 and 41 d after 50% anthesis in the eight cultivars, at which time seed moisture contents had declined naturally to 40–49% (wet basis). Most seeds were able to germinate (in 28 d tests at 10°C) following enforced desiccation at this time (normal germination varied from 83% in one cultivar of winter wheat to 97% in one of spring wheat).Potential seed longevity continued to increase after physiological maturity. The intervalbetween physiological maturity and the time when seeds attained maximum potential longevity varied between 3 and 21 d; maturation drying had reduced seed moisture contents to 16–28% (wb) at this time. The results for all eight cultivars contradict the hypothesis that maximum seed quality is attained at physiological maturity and thereafter declines. The term physiological maturity is potentially misleading, therefore; mass maturity is more appropriate to describe this developmental stage. It is shown that the results of accelerated ageing or controlled deterioration tests may provide misleading conclusions in seed quality development studies if the single storage treatment chosen is inappropriate.

Changes in germination and desiccation sensitivity were measured throughout the seed expansion phase of development in fruits of Quercus robur L. The onset of a reduction in sensitivity to desiccation during development on the tree coincided with acquisition of the capacity for seed germination on moist sand substrate. Tolerance of desiccation then increased throughout development to shedding, but viability was still lost at a relatively high moisture content, and seeds did not therefore pass through a fully desiccation-tolerant phase. These data suggest that desiccation sensitivity in Q. robur may have resulted from the premature termination of development.

No desiccation was required to initiate germination in prematurely harvested fruits orseeds. Germination rate of seeds on moist sand increased at successive harvests during development, and was also increased by presoaking seeds in water. Variation in germination rate following shedding was not related to seed size or moisture content, but was affected by shedding date. This effect was not observed when the pericarp was removed.

Profiles of proteins synthesized in vivo in radicle tips were compared among unaged, artificially aged (controlled deterioration: 10% moisture content at 42°C for 3 weeks), osmoprimed (−1.5 MPa polyethylene glycol 6000 at 20°C for 1 week), and artificially aged and subsequently osmoprimed cauliflower (Brassica oleracea L.) seeds. Germination and initiation of incorporation of 35S-methionine into radicle tips were delayed by controlled deterioration. Osmopriming accelerated these processes and also alleviated the delays. The labelled proteins were analysed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and fluorography. Proteins were found whose expression correlated with the rate of germination, and was reduced by controlled deterioration but enhanced by osmopriming. Subsequent osmopriming reversed the effect of controlled deterioration and even caused an enhancement up to the level of unaged osmoprimed seeds. These proteins appeared to be related to processes preceding visible germination. In unaged seeds, formation of the proteins in the radicle tip began upon imbibition but decreased towards visible germination. On silver-stained gels, one of the proteins was shown to be mobilized by the time of radicle protrusion, while all were found in dry seeds. Proteins whose pronounced expression was observed only after both treatments were also found.

Submerging Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Top Crop seeds in air-saturated water for 16 h markedly depresses subsequent germination. This is termed soaking injury. Soaking injury does not occur in seeds soaked in CO2-saturated water. Previous studies have shown that soaking injury can be alleviated by drying seeds or removing seed coats. Submergence therefore leads to a situation in bean seeds which is similar to secondary dormancy.

As with dormant seeds, C6/C1 ratios of embryonic axes of seeds soaked in air-saturated water remained high (0.8–1.0) during and after soaking. This was paralleled by low activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC.1.1.49) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.44). In axes of seeds soaked in CO2-saturated water and in unsoaked seeds C6/C1 ratios declined steadily during soaking/imbibition and reached values of around 0.3 after germination. Slight increases ofglucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase activities occurred in the pre-germination phase. This was followed by a massive increase after radicle emergence. Synthesis of the plastid isoenzymes was a post-germinative event.

It appears that soaking injury depresses protein synthesis. Lack of oxidative pentose phosphate pathway activity appears to be a causative factor in soaking injury.

Seeds of the Brussels sprouts cultivar Asmer Aries and the cauliflower cultivar Hipop were subjected to ageing at 20% moisture content and 45°C for 24 or 30 h, respectively; all seeds retained high germination after ageing. Aerated hydration of unaged and aged seeds of both cultivars for 4–8 h at a range of temperatures (10–30°C), followed by drying, resulted in improved performance, except that germination percentage and rate of cauliflower were lower at 10°C. Thus, all treated seeds showed greater germination rate and seedling root length than the control, which may have resulted from the advancement of the process of germination. The deleterious effect of aerated hydration at 10°C on cauliflower could be explained by damage due to rapid imbibition; seeds that had imbibed slowly to close to full imbibition (41% moisture content) before aerated hydration showed no decrease in germination. The improvement of aged seeds after aerated hydration was also revealed by higher germination after the controlled-deterioration test, which indicated less deterioration in treated seeds. Furthermore, the optimum improvements for all seeds were observed at 25°C and were greater when the water was aerated than non-aerated. These observations indicate the activation of metabolic repair processes during aerated hydration, leading to a reversal of the deterioration sustained during ageing.

On the premise that seed ageing may be largely a result of free-radical lipid autoxidation, a study was made of the relationship between lipid stability and longevity in seeds of soybean (Glycine max), lentil (Lens culinaris), mungbean (Vigna radiata), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), broadbean (Vicia faba), pea (Pisum sativum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa), and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum). Seed lipids were examined for α-, γ- and δ-tocopherols, and levels of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Using this information, analysis was attempted using linear, multiplicative or exponential models to correlate aspects of lipid stability with seed longevity values from the published literature. No statistically significant correlations could be found between longevity and total lipid unsaturation, tocopherol levels or two protection formulae obtained from the oil chemistry literature. When values for tomato were excluded, a good correlation (r = 0.89, P = 0.007) was obtained using a multiplicative regression model for levels of linolenic acid per unit of total tocopherols in relation to longevity. Possible factors contributing to a lessening of the relationship between lipid stability and seed longevity are discussed.