Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Biochemical changes induced in seeds of Brassicaceae wild species during ageing

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Acta Physiologiae Plantarum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine whether the loss of seed germination capacity and vigour in seeds of four wild Brassicaceae species (Brassica repanda, Moricandia arvensis, Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum and Sinapis alba) during ageing at 45°C and 90% relative humidity was related to changes in lipid peroxidation and membrane integrity. For all of the species, ageing reduced the final germination percentage and increased the length of time required to reach 50% of final germination (T 50). Large differences in longevity were observed among the species. The times required for viability to be reduced to 80 and 50% of maximum germination (P80 and P50) were the lowest for B. repanda, and these values were two times longer for M. arvensis and R. nasturtium-aquaticum and five times longer for S. alba compared with B. repanda. A loss of seed viability was not associated with malondialdehyde accumulation, suggesting that lipid peroxidation did not cause seed deterioration under these conditions. However, the conductivity test effectively detected seed deterioration in these wild Brassicaceae species, and membrane permeability correlated with both germination and vigour loss. This correlation may provide a valuable mean for early detection of seed viability in wild Brassicaceae species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DW:

Dry weight

FW:

Fresh weight

MDA:

Malondialdehyde

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

T 50 :

Time required to reach 50% of the final germination

References

  • Aiazzi MT, Arguello JA, Pérez A, DiRienzo J, Guzman CA (1997) Deterioration in Atriplex cordobensis (Gandoger et Stuckert) seeds: natural and accelerated ageing. Seed Sci Technol 25:147–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailly C (2004) Active oxygen species and antioxidants in seed biology. Seed Sci Res 14:93–107

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bailly C, Benamar A, Corbineau F, Côme D (1996) Changes in malondialdehyde content and in superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase activities in sunflower seeds as related to deterioration during accelerated aging. Physiol Plant 97:104–110

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bailly C, Bogatek-Leszczynska R, Côme D, Corbineau F (2002) Changes in activities of antioxidant enzymes and lipoxygenase during growth of sunflower seedlings from seeds of different vigour. Seed Sci Res 12:47–55

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beckman KB, Ames BN (1997) Oxidants, antioxidants, and aging. In: Scandalios JG (ed) Oxidative stress and the molecular biology of antioxidant defenses. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York, pp 201–246

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedi S, Kaur R, Sital JS, Kaur J (2006) Artificial ageing of Brassica seeds of different maturity levels. Seed Sci Technol 34:287–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Corbineau F, Picard MA, Fougereux JA, Ladonne F, Côme D (2000) Effects of dehydration conditions on desiccation tolerance of developing pea seeds as related to oligosaccharide content and cell membrane properties. Seed Sci Res 10:329–339

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Corbineau F, Gay-Mathieu C, Vinel D, Côme D (2002) Decrease in sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seed viability caused by high temperature as related to energy metabolism, membrane damage and lipid composition. Physiol Plant 116:489–496

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elias SG, Copeland LO (1997) Evaluation of seed vigor test for Canola. J Seed Technol 19:78–87

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO/IPGRI (1994) Genebank standards. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, Roma

    Google Scholar 

  • Gidrol X, Serghini H, Noubhani A, Mocquot B, Mazliak P (1989) Biochemical changes induced by accelerated aging in sunflower seeds. 1. Lipid peroxidation and membrane damage. Physiol Plant 76:591–597

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Girard J, Le Meste M (1992) Absence de relation entre taux de radicaux libres mesuré par RPE et viabilité des semences de blé [Lack of relationship between free radical levels determined by ESR technique and viability of wheat seeds]. C R Acad Sci 3:417–422

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath R, Parker L (1968) Photoperoxidation in isolated chloroplasts. I. Kinetics and stoichiometry of fatty acid peroxidation. Arch Biochem Biophys 125:189–198

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ISTA (2009) International rules for seed testing. International Seed Testing Association, Basserdorf

    Google Scholar 

  • Kibinza S, Vinel D, Côme D, Bailly C, Corbineau F (2006) Sunflower seed deterioration as related to moisture content during ageing, energy metabolism and active oxygen species scavenging. Physiol Plant 128:496–506

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehner A, Mamadou N, Poels P, Côme D, Bailly C, Corbineau F (2008) Changes in soluble carbohydrates, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities in the embryo during ageing in wheat grains. J Cereal Sci 47:555–565

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Qu J, Dong Z, Wang T, An L (2008) Storage behavior of Zygophyllum xanthoxylon (Bge.) Maxim seeds at low moisture contents. Acta Physiol Plant 30:651–656

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin SS, Pearce RS (1990) Changes in lipids of bean seeds (Phaseolus vulgaris) and corn caryopses (Zea mays) aged in contrasting environments. Ann Bot 65:451–456

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald MB (1999) Seed deterioration: physiology, repair and assessment. Seed Sci Technol 27:177–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Merritt DJ, Senaratna T, Touchell DH, Dixon KW, Sivasithamparam K (2003) Seed ageing of four Western Australian species in relation to storage environment and seed antioxidant activity. Seed Sci Res 13:155–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mira S, González-Benito ME, Hill LM, Walters C (2010a) Characterization of volatile production during storage of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) seeds. J Exp Bot 61:3915–3924

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mira S, González-Benito ME, Ibars AM, Estrelles E (2010b) Dormancy release and seed ageing in the endangered species Silene diclinis. Biodivers Conserv. doi:10.1007/s10531-010-9833-x

  • Murthy UMN, Kumar PP, Sun WQ (2003) Mechanisms of seed ageing under different storage conditions for Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek: lipid peroxidation, sugar hydrolysis, Maillard reactions and their relationship to glass state transition. J Exp Bot 54:1057–1067

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nagel M, Borner A (2010) The longevity of crop seeds stored under ambient conditions. Seed Sci Res 20:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niedzielski M, Walters C, Luczak W, Hill LM, Wheeler LJ, Puchalski J (2009) Assessment of variation in seed longevity within rye, wheat and the intergeneric hybrid triticale. Seed Sci Res 19:213–224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce RS, Abdelsamad IM (1980) Change in fatty acid content of polar lipids during aging of seeds of peanut (Arachis hypogea L). J Exp Bot 31:1283–1290

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-García F, González-Benito ME, Gómez-Campo C (2007) High viability recorded in ultra-dry seeds of 37 species of Brassicaceae after almost 40 years of storage. Seed Sci Technol 35:143–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-García F, González-Benito ME, Gómez-Campo C (2008) Germination of fourteen endemic species from the Iberian Peninsula, Canary and Balearic Islands after 32–34 years of storage at low temperature and very low water content. Seed Sci Technol 36:407–422

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-García F, Gómez-Campo C, Ellis RH (2009) Successful long-term ultra-dry storage of seed of 15 species of Brassicaceae in a genebank: variation in ability to germinate over 40 years and dormancy. Seed Sci Technol 37:640–649

    Google Scholar 

  • Priestley DA (1986) Seed aging. Implications of seed storage and persistence in the soil. Comstock Publishing, Ithaca

    Google Scholar 

  • Priestley DA, Leopold AC (1979) Absence of lipid oxidation during accelerated aging of soybean seeds. Plant Physiol 63:726–729

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pukacka S (1991) Changes in membrane lipid components and antioxidant levels during natural aging of seeds of Acer platanoides. Physiol Plant 82:306–310

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ratajczak E, Pukacka S (2005) Decrease in beech (Fagus sylvatica) seed viability caused by temperature and humidity conditions as related to membrane damage and lipid composition. Acta Physiol Plant 27:3–12

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simon EW (1974) Phospholipids and plant membrane permeability. New Phytol 73:377–420

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sung JM (1996) Lipid peroxidation and peroxide-scavenging in soybean seeds during aging. Physiol Plant 97:85–89

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sung JM, Jeng TL (1994) Lipid peroxidation and peroxide scavenging enzymes associated with accelerated aging of peanut seed. Physiol Plant 91:51–55

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Verma SS, Tomer RPS, Verma U, Saini SL (2001) Electrical conductivity and accelerated ageing techniques for evaluating deterioration in Brassica species. Crop Res 21:148–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Walters C (1998) Understanding the mechanisms and kinetics of seed aging. Seed Sci Res 8:223–244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walters C, Wheeler LJ, Grotenhuis JM (2005) Longevity of seeds stored in a genebank: species characteristics. Seed Sci Res 15:1–20

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson DO, McDonald MB (1986) A convenient volatile aldehyde assay for measuring soybean seed vigor. Seed Sci Technol 14:259–268

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (grant CGL2006-10536). S.M. was supported by the FPU program (Ministerio de Educación, Spain).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biología Vegetal, E.U.I.T. Agrícola., Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Sara Mira & Maria Elena González-Benito

  2. ICBiBE-Jardí Botànic, Universitat de València, 46008, Valencia, Spain

    Elena Estrelles

  3. UR5 UPMC-EAC 7180 CNRS, Germination et Dormance des Semences, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 75005, Paris, France

    Françoise Corbineau

Authors
  1. Sara Mira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Elena Estrelles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Maria Elena González-Benito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Françoise Corbineau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sara Mira.

Additional information

Communicated by S. Weidner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mira, S., Estrelles, E., González-Benito, M.E. et al. Biochemical changes induced in seeds of Brassicaceae wild species during ageing. Acta Physiol Plant 33, 1803–1809 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-011-0719-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-011-0719-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation