Abstract
Vateria indica L. is a critically endangered tree species in South-Western Ghats of India, commercially exploited for its valuable resins. Seed recalcitrance is a major problem hindering the natural regeneration of this species and it poses a great challenge in seed storage and conservation. There was a continuous import of water from the maternal tissues to seed tissues till maturity and the seeds were released in a fully hydrated state. Differential accumulation of water has been noticed in the cotyledons and embryonal axis. There was a positive correlation between seed moisture content and rate of germination which is a character of recalcitrant seeds. The critical moisture content was found to be 40% in the axis and 23.5% in the cotyledons, below which the embryo will not germinate. Loss of germination ability as a result of desiccation was attributed to the cell membrane damage, expressed as the electrolyte leakage exceeding 0.79 μS/cm. ABA peaked in the mid embryogenesis, then dropped drastically and maintained a lower level till seed maturity. On desiccation, ABA started to increase but gradually dropped down. Both cotyledons and embryonal axis had differential ABA content but exhibited a general pattern of ABA level during embryogeny. Due to the thin seed coat/embryo ratio and low investment in the seed coat, this recalcitrant seed could not hold water as efficient as orthodox seeds. Thus, it germinated as soon as it was shed from the mother plant. On desiccation, ABA shot up and moisture content decreased along with electrolyte leakage and cell membrane damage. All these hindered germination of the seed. Thus, we can see a clear interplay between moisture content and ABA levels during embryogeny and desiccation. Since the seed biology of this species has not been well documented, the present work is mainly intended to study the dynamics of water and ABA during embryogeny and embryo drying. This study can surely contribute to the long-term storage and conservation of recalcitrant seeds which is a less explored area.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Asch (2000) Laboratory manual on determination of abscisic acid by indirect competitive ELISA. The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Agrohydrology & Bioclimatology Technical series 1:2000
Ashton P (1998) Vateria indica. The ICN Red List of Threatened Species 1998
Berjak P, Pammenter NW (2000) What ultrastructure has told us about recalcitrant seeds. Braz J Plant Physiol 12:22–55
Bonner FT (1996) Responses of drying of recalcitrant seeds of Quercus nigra L. Ann Bot 78:181–187
Cheng WH, Endo A, Zhou L, Penney J, Chen HC, Arroyo A (2002) A unique short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase in Arabidopsis glucose signalling and abscisic acid biosynthesis and functions. Plant Cell 14:2723–2743
Daws MI, Garwood NC, Pritchard HW (2006) Prediction of desiccation sensitivity in seed of woody species: a probabilistic model based on two seed traits and 104 species. Ann Bot 97:667–674
Dhyani A, Barstow M (2020) Vateria indica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T33029A115932674.en
Dussert S, Nathalie C, Florent E, Hamon S (1999) Quantitative estimation of seed desiccation sensitivity using a quantal response model: application to nine species of the genus Coffea L. Seed Sci Res 9:135–144
Farrant JM, Pammenter NW, Cutting JGM, Berjak P (1993) The role of plant growth regulators in the development and germination of the desiccation sensitive seeds of Avicennia marina. Seed Sci Res 3:55–63
Farrant JM, Pammenter NW, Berjak P, Fransworth EJ, Vertucci CW (1996) Presence of dehydrin-like proteins and levels of abscisic acid in recalcitrant (desiccation sensitive) seeds may be related to habitat. Seed Sci Res 6:175–182
Finch-Savage WE (1992) Seed development in the recalcitrant species Quercus robur L.; germinability and desiccation tolerance. Seed Sci Res 2:17–22
Finch-Savage WE, Clay HA, Blake PS, Browning G (1992) Seed development in the recalcitrant species Quercus robur L.; water status and endogenous abscisic levels. J Exp Biol 43:671–679
Franchi GG, Piotto B, Nepi M, Baskin CC, Baskin JM, Pacini E (2011) Pollen and seed desiccation tolerance in relation to degree of developmental arrest, dispersal, and survival. J Exp Bot 62:5267–5281
Farnswoth (2000) The ecology and physiology of viviparous and recalcitrant seeds. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 31:107–138
Frey A, Godin B, Bonnet M, Sotta B, Marion-Poll A (2004) Maternal synthesis of abscisic acid controls seed development and yield in Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. Planta 218:958–964
Hamilton KN, Offord CA, Cuneo P, Deseo MA (2013) A comparative study of seed morphology in relation to desiccation tolerance and other physiological responses in 71 Eastern Australian rainforest species. Plant Spec Biol 28:51–62
Hong TD, Ellis RH (1990) A comparison of maturation drying, germination and desiccation tolerance between developing seeds of Acer psuedoplatanus L. and Acer plantanoides L. New Phytol 116:589–596
Ingram J, Bartels D (1996) The molecular basis of dehydration tolerance in plants. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 47:377–403
Ismail SA, Ghazoul J, Ravikanth G, Kushalappa CG, Shaanker RU, Kettle CJ (2014) Fragmentation of genetics of Vateria indica implications for management of forest genetic resources of an endemic dipterocarp. Conserv Genet 15(3):533–545
ISTA (2008) International Rule for Seed Testing association, News Bulletin, 135. Seed Science and Technology, pp 31–33 (ISTA News Bulletin No. 135 April 2008, pp 31–33)
Khan MM, Alam MA, Abbas M, Iqba MJ (2003) Studies on seed desiccation tolerance in four Citrus species. Pak J Agric Sci 40:55–62
Liang Y, Sun WQ (2000) Desiccation tolerance of recalcitrant Theobroma cacao embryonic axes: the optimal drying rate and its physiological basis. J Exp Bot 51:1911–1919
McCarty (1995) Genetic control and integration of maturation and germination pathways in seed development. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 46:71–93
Mumford PM, Grout BWW (1979) Desiccation and low temperature (− 196 °C) tolerance of Citrus limon seed. Seed Sci Technol 7:407–410
Pammenter NW, Berjak P (1999) A review of recalcitrant seed physiology in relation to desiccation tolerance mechanisms. Seed Sci Res 10:13–37
Pence VC (1991) Abscisic acid in developing zygotic embryos of Theobroma cacao. Plant Physiol 95:1291–1293
Pieruzzi FP, Dias LLC, Balbuena TS, Santa-Catarina C, dos Santos ALW, Floh EIS (2011) Polyamines, IAA and ABA during germination in two recalcitrant seeds: Araucaria anguistifolia (Gymnosperm) and Ocotea odorifera (Angiosperm). Ann Bot 108:337–345
Prajith TM, Anil Kumar C, Ajith Kumar KG (2017) Changes in abscisic acid level in embryonic axis of Saraca indica seeds during maturation and artificial dehydration. Indian J Plant Physiol 22(3):354–352
Pritchard HW, Daws MI, Fletcher BJ, Gamen CS, Msanga HP, Omondi W (2004) Ecological correlates of seed desiccation tolerance in tropical African dryland trees. Am J Bot 91:863–870
Shiva MP, Jantan I (1998) Non-timber forest products from dipterocarpaceae. In: Appannah S, Turnbull JM (eds) A review of Dipterocarpaceae: taxonomy, ecology and silviculture. CIFOR, Bogor
Sinu PA, Shivanna KR (2016) Factors affecting recruitment of a critically – endangered Dipterocarp species Vateria indica in the Western Ghats, India. Proc Natl Acad Sci India Sect B Biol Sci 86:857–862
Steadman KJ, Pritchard HW, Dey PM (1996) Tissue-specific soluble sugars in seeds as indicators of storage category. Ann Bot 77:667–674
Sundararaj R, Mangala N, Nagaveni HC (2011) Annotated list of insect pests of Vateria indica L. J Biodivers Ecol Sci 1:329–332
Tompsett PB, Pritchard HW (1993) Water status changes during development in relation to germination and desiccation tolerance of Aesculus hippocastanum L. seeds. Ann Bot 71:107–116
Weiler EW (1982) An enzyme immunoassay for cis (+) abscisic acid. Physiol Plant 54:510–514
Wolf O, Jeschke WD, Hartung W (1990) Long-distance transport of abscisic acid in NaCl treated intact plants of Lupinus albus. J Exp Bot 41:593–600
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
G.P. Gayatri, K.G. Ajith Kumar, Parvathy S. Nair, G. Sunil Kesava Deth and K.V. Baiju are involved in methodology, data curation, formal analysis, and investigation. G.P. Gayatri and K.G. Ajith Kumar contributed to conceptualization, validation, and formal analysis, and wrote and edited original draft and review.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Handling Editor: T. Casey Barickman.
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gayatri, G.P., Kumar, K.G.A., Nair, P.S. et al. Dynamics of Water and Abscisic Acid During Embryogeny and Embryo Drying in the Recalcitrant Seeds of Vateria indica L.. J Plant Growth Regul 41, 15–22 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-020-10274-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-020-10274-2