Abstract
Seeds of Sterculia foetida were tested for germination following desiccation and subsequent hermetic storage. Whereas seeds at 10.3% moisture content were intact and provided 98% germination, further desiccation reduced germination substantially. The majority of seed coats had cracked after desiccation to 5.1% moisture content. Ability to germinate was not reduced after 12 months' hermetic storage at 10.3% and 7.3% moisture content at 15 degrees C or -18 degrees C, but was reduced considerably at 5.1%. Fungal infection was detected consistently for cracked seeds in germination tests and they did not germinate. However, almost all embryos extracted from cracked seeds germinated if first disinfected with sodium hypochlorite (1%, 5 minutes). In addition. 80 -100% of disinfected extracted embryos from cracked seeds stored hermetically for 28 d at -18 degrees C or -82 degrees C with 3.3% to 6.0% moisture content, and excised embryos stored in this way, were able to germinate. Hence. failure of the very dry seeds of Sterculia foetida to germinate was not due to embryo death from desiccation but to cracking increasing susceptibility to fungal infection upon rehydration. Cracking was associated negatively and strongly with relative humidity and appears to be a mechanical consequence of substantial differences between the isotherms of whole seeds compared with cotyledons and axes.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Seeds at 10.3% moisture were intact and germinated at 98%.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetida
Sterculia foetidat0 - Outcome
- intact and provided 98% germinatione0
- Value
- 98%e0
- Qualifier
- 10.3% moisture contente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“seeds at 10.3% moisture content were intact and provided 98% germination”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
Further desiccation substantially reduced germination.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Treatment
- further desiccatione0
- Outcome
- germinatione0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“further desiccation reduced germination substantially”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
Most seed coats cracked after drying to 5.1% moisture.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Outcome
- seed coats had crackede0
- Qualifier
- 5.1% moisture contente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The majority of seed coats had cracked after desiccation to 5.1% moisture content.”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
Germination ability persisted after 12 months at 10.3% and 7.3% moisture.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Outcome
- Ability to germinatee0
- Direction
- not reducede0
- Qualifier
- 12 months' hermetic storage at 10.3% and 7.3% moisture content at 15 degrees C or -18 degrees Ce0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Ability to germinate was not reduced after 12 months' hermetic storage at 10.3% and 7.3% moisture content at 15 degrees C or -18 degrees C”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
At 5.1% moisture, germination ability was considerably reduced.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Outcome
- germinatee1
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- 5.1%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but was reduced considerably at 5.1%.”
e1“Ability to germinate was not reduced after 12 months' hermetic storage at 10.3% and 7.3% moisture content at 15 degrees C or -18 degrees C”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
Cracked seeds were consistently fungus infected and failed to germinate.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Outcome
- Fungal infection was detected consistently for cracked seeds in germination tests and they did not germinatee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Fungal infection was detected consistently for cracked seeds in germination tests and they did not germinate.”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
Nearly all disinfected embryos from cracked seeds germinated.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Organ / stage
- embryose0
- Treatment
- disinfected with sodium hypochlorite (1%, 5 minutes)e0
- Outcome
- germinatede0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“almost all embryos extracted from cracked seeds germinated if first disinfected with sodium hypochlorite (1%, 5 minutes).”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
After very cold dry storage, 80 to 100% of disinfected extracted embryos remained germinable.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Organ / stage
- embryose0
- Outcome
- able to germinatee0
- Value
- 80 -100%e0
- Qualifier
- stored hermetically for 28 d at -18 degrees C or -82 degrees C with 3.3% to 6.0% moisture contente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“80 -100% of disinfected extracted embryos from cracked seeds stored hermetically for 28 d at -18 degrees C or -82 degrees C with 3.3% to 6.0% moisture content, and excised embryos stored in this way, were able to germinate.”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
Cracking was strongly negatively associated with relative humidity.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Outcome
- Crackinge0
- Direction
- negativelye0
- Qualifier
- relative humiditye0
Not reportedTreatmentSetting
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cracking was associated negatively and strongly with relative humidity”
t0“Sterculia foetida”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed dry seed germination failure to cracking and subsequent fungal susceptibility, rather than embryo death.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidae0
- Outcome
- failure of the very dry seeds of Sterculia foetida to germinatee0
- Qualifier
- cracking increasing susceptibility to fungal infection upon rehydratione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“failure of the very dry seeds of Sterculia foetida to germinate was not due to embryo death from desiccation but to cracking increasing susceptibility to fungal infection upon rehydration.”
Claim · model-written summary
Cracking appeared to result mechanically from differing water sorption isotherms between seeds and embryo parts.
- Taxon
- Sterculia foetidaSterculia foetidat0
- Outcome
- Crackingt0
- Qualifier
- substantial differences between the isotherms of whole seeds compared with cotyledons and axese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“appears to be a mechanical consequence of substantial differences between the isotherms of whole seeds compared with cotyledons and axes.”
t0“Effects of desiccation on seed germination, cracking, fungal infection and survival in storage of Sterculia foetida L.”