Abstract
Dormant and non-dormant barley (Hordeum distichum L.) grains with identical genetic backgrounds were obtained by maturing grains under different climate conditions. When isolated embryos from dormant grains were incubated in a well containing a fixed volume of water (300 μl), the germination rate and percentage were dependent on the embryo number per well. A higher embryo number per well was correlated with a lower germination rate and percentage. However, this was not the case for the embryos isolated from nondormant grains. During germination, the endogenous cis-abscisic acid (ABA) in isolated embryos from both dormant and nondormant grains was analyzed. The inhibitory effect on germination of a higher number per well of isolated dormant embryos was due to diffusion of endogenous ABA out of the embryos and accumulation of ABA in the incubation medium. Moreover, there was de-novo synthesis of ABA in embryos isolated from dormant grains during incubation but not in embryos isolated from nondormant grains. The inhibitory effect of ABA on germination of embryos isolated from dormant grains could be mimicked by addition of ABA or the medium in which dormant embryos had been placed. Embryos isolated from nondormant grains were insensitive to addition of ABA and medium from dormant embryos. Our results demonstrate that diffusion of endogenous ABA, de-novo ABA synthesis and ABA sensitivity play a role in the control of germination. It is proposed that dormancy-breaking treatments act via changes to these processes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- ABA:
-
cis-abscisic acid
- E/W:
-
embryo(s) per well
References
Belefant, H., Fong, F. (1989) Abscisic acid ELISA: organic acid interference. Plant Physiol. 91, 1467–1470
Berrie, A.M.M., Buller, D., Don, R., Parker, W. (1979) Possible role of volatile fatty acid and abscisic acid in the dormancy of oats. Plant Physiol 563, 758–764
Black, M. (1983) Abscisic acid in seed germination and dormancy. In: Abscisic acid, pp. 337–363, Addicott, F.T., ed., Preager Publishers New York
Black, M. (1992) Involvement of ABA in the physiology of developing and mature seeds. In: Abscisic acid physiology and biochemistry, pp. 99–124, Davies, W.J., ed. β IOS Scientific Publishers Limited Oxford
Corbineau F., Poljakoff-Mayber, A., Côme, D. (1991) Responsiveness to abscisic acid of embryos of dormant oat (Avena sativa) seeds. Involvement of ABA-inducible proteins. Physiol. Plant. 83, 1–6
Drozdowicz, Y.M., Jones, R.L. (1992) Regulation of acid release from barley aleurone by gibberellic acid and abscisic acid. In: Preharvest sprouting in cereals 1992, pp. 254–261. Walker-Simmons, M.K., Reid, J.L., eds. American Association of Cereal Chemists, St. Paul, USA
Dunwell, J.M. (1981) Dormancy and germination in embryo of Hordeum vulgare L. Effect of dissection, incubation temperature and hormone application. Ann. Bot. 48, 203–213
Fong, F., Smith, J.D., Koehler, D.E. (1983) Early events in maize seed development. Plant Physiol. 73, 899–901
Goldbach, H., Michael, G. (1976) Abscisic acid content of barley grains during ripening as affected by temperature and variety. Crop Sci. 16, 797–79
Harris, M.J., Outlaw, W.H., jr. (1991) Rapid adjustment of guard-cell abscisic acid levels to current leaf-water status. Plant Physiol. 95, 171–173
Heimovaara-Dijkstra, S., Heistek, J.C., Wang, M. (1994) Counteractive effects of abscisic acid and gibberellic acid on extracellular and intracellular pH and malate in barley aleurone. Plant Physiol. 106, 359–365
Karssen, C.M., Brinkhorst-Van der Swan, D.L.C., Breekland, A.E., Koorneef, M. (1983) Induction of dormancy during seed development by endogenous abscisic acid: studies on abscisic acid deficient genotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.). Planta 157, 158–165
Karssen, C.M., Groot, S.P.C., Koornneef, M. (1987) Hormone mutants and seed dormancy in Arabidopsis and tomato. In: Developmental mutants in higher plants, pp. 119–134, Thomas, H., Grierson, D., eds. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Kermode, A.R. (1990) Regulatory mechanisms involved in the transition from seed development to germination. Plant Sci. 9, 155–195
Koornneef, M., Reuling, G., Karssen, C.M. (1984) The isolation and characterization of abscisic acid insensitive mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana. Physiol. Plant 61, 377–383
Morris, C.F., Weiler, E.W., Maddock, S.E., Jones, M.G.K., Lenton, J.R., Bowles, D.J. (1988) Determination of endogenous abscisic acid levels in immature cereal embryos in in-vitro culture. Planta 173, 110–116
Pickett, A.A. (1989) A review of seed dormancy in self-sown wheat and barley. Plant Varieties Seeds 3, 131–146
Quarrie, S.A., Tuberosa, R., Lister, P.G. (1988) Abscisic acid in developing grains of wheat and barley genotypes differing in grain weight. Plant Growth Regul. 7, 3–17
Radley, M. (1976) The development of wheat grain in relation to endogenous growth substances. J. Exp. Bot. 27, 1009–1021
Reid, J.L., Walker-Simmons, M.K. (1990) Synthesis of abscisic acid responsive, heat stable proteins in embryonic axes of dormant wheat grains. Plant Physiol. 93, 662–667
Robertson, M., Walker-Simmons, M. Munro, D., Hill, R.D. (1989) Induction of α-amylase inhibitor synthesis in barley embryos and young seedlings by abscisic acid and dehydration stress. Plant Physiol. 91, 415–420
Robichaud, C.S., Wong, J., Sussex, I.M. (1980) Control of in vitro growth of viviparous embryo mutants of maize by abscisic acid. Dev. Genet. 1, 325–330
Schuurink, R.C., Van Beckum, J.M.M., Heidekamp, F. (1992a) Modulation of grain dormancy in barley by variation of plant growth conditions. Hereditas 117, 137–143
Schuurink, R.C., Sedee, N.J.A., Wang, M. (1992b) Dormancy of the barley grain is correlated with gibberellic acid responsiveness of the isolated aleurone layer. Plant Physiol. 100, 1834–1839
Simpson, G.M. (1990) Seed dormancy in grasses. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Slovik, S., Baier, M., Hartung, W. (1992) Compartmental distribution and redistribution of abscisic acid in intact leaves. I. Mathematical formulation. Planta 187, 14–25
Van Beckum, J.M.M., Libbenga, K.R., Wang M. (1993) Abscisic acid and gibberellic acid-regulated responses of embryos and aleurone layers isolated from dormant and nondormant barley grains. Physiol. Plant. 89, 483–489
Walker-Simmons, M. (1987) ABA levels and sensitivity in developing wheat embryos of sprouting resistant and susceptible cultivars. Plant Physiol. 84, 61–66
Walker-Simmons, M., Sessing, J. (1990) Temperature effects on embryonic abscisic acid levels during development of wheat grain dormancy. J. Plant Growth Regul. 9, 51–56
Wang, M., Bakhuizen, R., Heimovaara-Dijkstra, S., Van Zeijl, M.J., De Vries, M.A., Van Beckum, J.M., Sinjorgo, K.M.C. (1994) The role of ABA and GA in barley grain dormancy. A comparative study between embryo dormancy and aleurone dormancy. Russian J. Plant Physiol., in press
Weidenhoeft, T, Hagemann, M., Chevalier, P., Walker-Simmons, M., Ciha, A.J. (1988) Field studies on abscisic acid and embryonic germinability in winter wheat. Field Crops Res. 18, 271–278
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Prof. K.R. Libbenga (Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Leiden University) is thanked for fruitful discussions. B.V.D. was partly supported by E.E.C. BIOTECH program PL 920175.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, M., Heimovaara-Dijkstra, S. & Van Duijn, B. Modulation of germination of embryos isolated from dormant and nondormant barley grains by manipulation of endogenous abscisic acid. Planta 195, 586–592 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195719
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00195719