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Germination inhibitors detected in Sapium sebiferum seeds

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Abstract

This study identifies endogenous inhibitors of germination associated with seed dormancy in Sapium sebiferum, Chinese tallow. Seed extracts were separated into five distinct fractions (petroleum ether, ether, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous) and tested for their effect on germination of cabbage seeds. There were no significant differences in germination percentages and germination index (GI) between the solvents and the control. The five fractions differentially reduced germination percentage and GI values of cabbage seeds. According to the GI results, the greatest inhibition was with the ether fraction followed by methanol, ethyl acetate, petroleum ether, and aqueous fractions. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry identified the constituents of the four organic fractions. Compared with the mass spectrum of the National Institute of Standards and Technology library, a compound was confirmed, provided it was more than 85% similar. Analysis of ether extracts identified four compounds: butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT; 19.7%), 1,2-benzenediol (4.1%), p-hydroxycinnamic acid, ethyl ester (2.8%), and n-hexadecanoic acid (1.4%). Fourteen, 20, and 9 compounds were identified in methanol, ethyl acetate, and petroleum ether extracts, respectively. The IC50 of BHT (the concentration at which BHT inhibits radicle growth by 50%) was 54.8 mg/L, indicating that the presence of BHT might be the primary cause of dormancy in S. sebiferum seeds.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Key Forestry Public Welfare Project under Grant 201304102 and the Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 31270711. This work was also supported by the Program for Innovative Research Teams in Universities of the Jiangsu Province, the Educational Department of China under the Innovative Research Team program, and the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions under the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) program.

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Correspondence to Shuxian Li.

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Project funding: Funding for this work was provided by the Natural Science Foundation of China (31570662), and the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com

Corresponding editor: Zhu Hong.

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Zhao, T., Qian, C., Gao, Y. et al. Germination inhibitors detected in Sapium sebiferum seeds. J. For. Res. 30, 2305–2312 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-018-0798-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-018-0798-z

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