Microwave seed treatment reduces hardseededness in Stylosanthes seabrana and promotes redistribution of cellular water as studied by NMR relaxation measurements
Seeds of Stylosanthes seabrana possessing seed coat and physiological dormancy were exposed to microwave fields with a dosage between 140 and 1400 W g−1 FW. The treatment improved germination percentage from 7% in the untreated control to 45% when seeds were
treated with a microwave energy between 840 and 1260 W g−1 FW. Seed leachate conductivity also increased by 28% in treated seeds compared to the control, indicating the loosening of the seed coat membrane. However, higher dose of energy (1400 W g−1 FW) reduced
germination by increasing the number of abnormal seedlings. The imbibition rates were significantly higher in treated seeds than in untreated seeds. Microscopic scanning of the seed coat using a Deltapix (Infinity X) camera system showed disintegration of seed coat in treated seeds that would
have helped water uptake. The transverse relaxation time (T2) of seed water and its components was measured in vivo using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to explain the changes in seed water status during germination in microwave treated and untreated seeds. The results
showed that in microwave treated seeds the fraction of least mobile water (bound water) which hydrates the macromolecules appeared much earlier than in the untreated seeds. This enhanced hydration would have initiated various metabolic activities related to germination process. In conclusion,
microwave treatments can soften the seed coat, enhance imbibition rate and reduce hardseededness in seeds of Stylosanthes.
Document Type: Research Article
Publication date: 01 April 2009
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