Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T18:17:30.255Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Functional morpho-anatomy of water-gap complexes in physically dormant seed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2018

Robert L. Geneve ,
Carol C. Baskin ,
Jerry M. Baskin ,
K.M.G. Gehan Jayasuriya  and
Nalin S. Gama-Arachchige
Robert L. Geneve*
Affiliation:
Department of Horticulture, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
Carol C. Baskin
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA Departmentof Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA
Jerry M. Baskin
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
K.M.G. Gehan Jayasuriya
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Nalin S. Gama-Arachchige
Affiliation:
Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
*
Author for correspondence: Robert L. Geneve Email: RGeneve@uky.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Physical dormancy (PY) occurs in at least 18 angiosperm plant families and is caused by water-impermeable palisade cells in seed (or fruit) coats. Breaking of PY involves disruption or dislodgement of water-gap structures causing the seeds/fruits to become water permeable (non-dormant). The water-gap region is a morphologically distinct area of the seed or fruit coat that forms a water-gap complex. The location, anatomy, morphology and origin of water-gaps can differ between and even within families and genera. Water-gap structures sense environmental conditions that allow seeds with PY to become permeable just prior to the commencement of conditions favourable for germination and plant establishment. There are three basic water-gap morpho-anatomies characterized by the way the water-gap opens: Type-I, Type-II and Type-III. In Type-I water-gaps, specific kinds of cells pull apart to form a surface opening, while in Type-II a portion of the surface structure is pulled away from adjacent cells, opening the water-gap. Type-III is the least common type and has a circular, plug-like structure that is dislodged, whereby water entry occurs. In addition, water-gap complexes are either simple or compound, depending on whether only a single primary water-gap structure is involved in dormancy release or an additional secondary water-gap structure opens, permitting water entry.

Keywords

imbibitionmorphologyphysical dormancyseed coatseed dormancywater-gapwater-impermeable seed coat
Type
Review Paper
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 28 , Special Issue 3: Seeds as Systems , September 2018 , pp. 186 - 191
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baskin, CC (2003) Breaking physical dormancy in seeds – focusing on the lens. New Phytologist 158, 229–232.Google Scholar
Baskin, JM, Baskin, CC and Li, X (2000) Taxonomy, anatomy and evolution of physical dormancy in seeds. Plant Species Biology 15, 139–152.Google Scholar
Baskin, CC and Baskin, JM (2014) Seeds:Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, 2nd edn. San Diego: Elsevier/Academic Press.Google Scholar
Chai, M, Zhou, C, Molina, I, Fu, C, Nakashima, J, Li, G, Zhang, W, Park, J, Tang, Y, Jiang, Q and Wang, ZY (2016) A class II KNOX gene, KNOX4, controls seed physical dormancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 113, 6997–7002.Google Scholar
Christiansen, MN and Moore, RP (1959) Seed coat structural differences that influence water uptake and seed quality in hard seed cotton. Agronomy Journal 51, 582–584.Google Scholar
Daws, MI, Orr, D, Burslem, D.F.R.P. and Mullins, CE (2006) Effect of high temperature on chalazal plug removal and germination in Apeiba tibourbou Aubl. Seed Science and Technology 34, 221–225.Google Scholar
De Paula, AS, Delgado, CML, Paulilo, MTS and Santos, M (2012) Breaking physical dormancy of Cassia leptophylla and Senna macranthera (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) seeds: water absorption and alternating temperatures. Seed Science Research 22, 259–267.Google Scholar
Dell, B (1980) Structure and function of the strophiolar plug in seeds of Albizia lophantha. American Journal of Botany 67, 556–563.Google Scholar
Egley, GH and Paul, RN (1981) Morphological observations on the early imbibition of water by Sida spinosa (Malvaceae) seed. American Journal of Botany 68, 1056–1065.Google Scholar
Gama-Arachchige, NS, Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL and Baskin, CC (2010) Identification and characterization of the water-gap in physically dormant seeds of Geraniaceae, with special reference to Geranium carolinianum. Annals of Botany 105, 977–990.Google Scholar
Gama-Arachchige, NS, Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL and Baskin, CC (2011) Acquisition of physical dormancy and ontogeny of the micropyle–water-gap complex in developing seeds of Geranium carolinianum (Geraniaceae). Annals of Botany 108, 51–64.Google Scholar
Gama-Arachchige, NS, Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL and Baskin, CC (2013a) Quantitative analysis of the thermal requirements for stepwise physical dormancy-break in seeds of the winter annual Geranium carolinianum (Geraniaceae). Annals of Botany 111, 849–858.Google Scholar
Gama-Arachchige, NS, Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL and Baskin, CC (2013b) Identification and characterization of 10 new water-gaps in seeds and fruits with physical dormancy and classification of water-gap complexes. Annals of Botany 112, 69–84.Google Scholar
Geneve, RL (2009) Physical seed dormancy in selected caesalpinioid legumes from eastern North America. Propagation of Ornamental Plants 9, 129–134.Google Scholar
Graven, P, DeKoster, CG, Boon, JJ and Bouman, F (1997) Functional aspects of mature seed coat of the Cannaceae. Plant Systematics and Evolution 205, 223–240.Google Scholar
Hagon, MW and Ballard, LAT (1970) Reversibility of strophiolar permeability to water in seeds of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L). Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 23, 519–528.Google Scholar
Hamly, DH (1932) Softening of the seeds of Melilotus alba. Botanical Gazette 93, 345–375.Google Scholar
Hanna, PJ (1984) Anatomical features of the seed coat of Acacia kempeana (Mueller) which relate to increased germination rate induced by heat treatment. New Phytologist 96, 23–29.Google Scholar
Horn, JW (2004) The morphology and relationships of the Sphaerosepalaceae (Malvales). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 144, 1–40.Google Scholar
Hu, XW, Wang, YR, Wu, YP, Nan, ZB and Baskin, CC (2008) Role of the lens in physical dormancy in seeds of Sophora alopecuroides L. (Fabaceae) from north-west China. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 59, 491–497.Google Scholar
Jayasuriya, K.M.G.G., Baskin, JM and Baskin, CC (2008a) Cycling of sensitivity to physical dormancy-break in seeds of Ipomoea lacunosa (Convolvulaceae) and ecological significance. Annals of Botany 101, 341–352.Google Scholar
Jayasuriya, K.M.G.G., Baskin, JM and Baskin, CC (2009a) Sensitivity cycling and its ecological role in seeds with physical dormancy. Seed Science Research 19, 3–13.Google Scholar
Jayasuriya, K.M.G.G., Baskin, JM, Baskin, CC and Fernando, MTR (2012) Variation in seed storage behavior in three liana species of Derris (Fabaceae, Faboideae) in Sri Lanka and ecological implications. Research Journal of Seed Science 5, 1–18.Google Scholar
Jayasuriya, K.M.G.G., Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL and Baskin, CC (2009b) Phylogeny of seed dormancy in Convolvulaceae, subfamily Convolvuloideae (Solanales). Annals of Botany 103, 45–63.Google Scholar
Jayasuriya, K.M.G.G., Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL and Baskin, CC (2009c) A proposed mechanism of physical dormancy break in sensitive and insensitive seeds of Ipomoea lacunosa (Convolvulaceae). Annals of Botany 103, 433–445.Google Scholar
Jayasuriya, K.M.G.G., Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL and Baskin, CC (2009d) Sensitivity cycling and mechanism of physical dormancy break in seeds of Ipomoea hederacea (Convolvulaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 170, 429–443.Google Scholar
Jayasuriya, K.M.G.G., Baskin, JM, Geneve, RL, Baskin, CC and Chien, CT (2008b) Physical dormancy in seeds of the holoparasitic angiosperm Cuscuta australis (Convolvulaceae, Cuscuteae), dormancy-breaking requirements, anatomy of the water-gap and sensitivity cycling. Annals of Botany 102, 39–48.Google Scholar
Karaski, T, Watanabe, Y, Kondo, T and Koike, T (2012) Strophiole of seeds of the black locust acts as a water-gap. Plant Species Biology 27, 226–232.Google Scholar
Lersten, NR, Gunn, CR and Brubaker, CL (1992) Comparative morphology of the lens on legume (Fabaceae) seeds, with emphasis on species in subfamilies Caesalpinioideae and Mimosoideae. United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Technical Bulletin no. 1791. Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture.Google Scholar
Li, XJ, Baskin, JM and Baskin, CC (1999) Anatomy of two mechanisms of breaking physical dormancy by experimental treatments in seeds of two North American Rhus species (Anacardiaceae). American Journal of Botany 86, 1505–1511.Google Scholar
Ma, F, Cholewa, EWA, Mohamed, T, Peterson, CA and Gijzen, M (2004). Cracks in the palisade cuticle of soybean seed coats correlate with their permeability to water. Annals of Botany 94, 213–228.Google Scholar
Manning, JC and van Staden, J (1987) The function of the testa in seeds of Indigofera parviflora (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae). Botanical Gazette 148, 23–34.Google Scholar
Martens, H, Jakobsen, HB and Lyshede, OB (1995) Development of the strophiole in seeds of white clover (Trifolium repens L.). Seed Science Research 5, 171–176.Google Scholar
Morrison, DA, Auld, TD, Rish, S, Porter, C and Mcclay, K (1992). Patterns of testa-imposed seed dormancy in native Australian legumes. Annals of Botany 70, 157–163.Google Scholar
Morrison, DA, McClay, K, Porter, C and Rish, S (1998) The role of the lens in controlling heat-induced breakdown of testa-imposed dormancy in native Australian legumes. Annals of Botany 82, 35–40.Google Scholar
Mott, JJ and Mckeon, GM (1979) Effect of heat-treatments in breaking hardseededness in 4 species of Stylosanthes. Seed Science and Technology 7, 15–25.Google Scholar
Nandi, OI (1998) Ovule and seed anatomy of Cistaceae and related Malvanae. Plant Systematics and Evolution 209, 239–264.Google Scholar
Poljakoff-Mayber, A, Somers, GF, Werker, E and Gallagher, JL (1994) Seeds of Kosteletzkya virginica (Malvaceae) – their structure, germination, and salt tolerance. 2. Germination and salt tolerance. American Journal of Botany 81, 54–59.Google Scholar
Rangaswamy, NS and Nandakumar, L (1985) Correlative studies on seed coat structure, chemical composition and impermeability in the legume Rhynchosia minima. Botanical Gazette 146, 501–509.Google Scholar
Rodrigues-Junior, AG, Faria, JMR, Vaz, TAA, Nakamura, AT and José, AC (2014) Physical dormancy in Senna multijuga (Fabaceae, Caesalpinioideae) seeds: the role of seed structures in water uptake. Seed Science Research 24, 147–157.Google Scholar
Santana, VM, Baeza, MJ and Blanes, MC (2013) Clarifying the role of fire heat and daily temperature fluctuations as general cues for Mediterranean Basin obligate seeders. Annals of Botany 111, 127–134.Google Scholar
Serrato-Valenti, G, Devries, M and Cornara, L (1995) The hilar region in Leucaena leucocephala Lam. (De Wit) seed – structure, histochemistry and the role of the lens in germination. Annals of Botany 75, 569–574.Google Scholar
Taylor, GB (1981) Effect of constant temperature treatments followed by fluctuating temperatures on the softening of hard seeds of Trifolium subterraneum L. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 8, 547–558.Google Scholar
Taylor, GB and Revell, CK (1999) Effect of pod burial, light, and temperature on seed softening in yellow serradella. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 50, 1203–1209.Google Scholar
Turner, SR, Cook, A, Baskin, JM, Baskin, CC, Tuckett, RE, Steadman, J and Dixon, KW (2009) Identification and characterization of the water-gap in the physically dormant seeds of Dodonaea petiolaris, a first report for Sapindaceae. Annals of Botany 104, 833–844.Google Scholar
Van Assche, JA, Debucquoy, KLA and Rommens, WAF (2003) Seasonal cycles in the germination capacity of buried seeds of some Leguminosae (Fabaceae). New Phytologist 158, 315–323.Google Scholar
van-Klinken, RD and Goulier, JB (2013) Habitat-specific seed dormancy-release mechanisms in four legume species. Seed Science Research 23, 181–188.Google Scholar
van-Klinken, RD, Flack, LK and Pettit, W (2006) Wet-season dormancy release in seed banks of a tropical leguminous shrub is determined by wet heat. Annals of Botany 98, 875–883.Google Scholar
Zeng, LW, Cocks, PS, Lailis, WG and Kuo, J (2005). The role of fractures and lipids in the seed coat in the loss of seedhardedness of six Mediterranean legume species. Journal of Agricultural Science 143, 43–55.Google Scholar