Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

ACC conversion to ethylene by sunflower seeds in relation to maturation, germination and thermodormancy

  • Published:
Plant Growth Regulation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Conversion of exogenous 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) to ethylene was studied in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., cv. Mirasol) seeds in relation to germinability. Ethylene production from ACC decreased during seed maturation, and non-dormant mature seeds were practically unable to synthesize ethylene until germination and growth occurred, indicating that ethylene forming enzyme (EFE) activity developed during tissue imbibition and growth. ACC conversion to ethylene was reduced by the presence of pericarp, and in young seedlings it was less in cotyledons than in growing axes.

ACC conversion to ethylene by cotyledons from young seedlings was optimal at c. 30°C, and was strongly inhibited at 45°C. Pretreatment of imbibed seeds at high temperature (45°C) induced a thermodormancy and a progressive decrease in EFE activity.

Abscisic acid and methyl-jasmonate, two growth regulators which inhibit seed germination and seedling growth, and cycloheximide were also shown to inhibit ACC conversion to ethylene by cotyledons of 3-day-old seedlings and by inbibed seeds.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

ABA:

abscisic acid

ACC:

1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid

CH:

cycloheximide

EFE:

ethylene forming enzyme

IAA:

indole-3-acetic acid

Me-Ja:

methyl-jasmonate

References

  1. Abeles FB and Lonski J (1969) Stimulation of lettuce seed germination by ethylene. Plant Physiol 44: 277–280.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Anderson JD, Lieberman M and Stewart RN (1979) Ethylene production by apple protoplasts. Plant Physiol 63: 931–935.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Burdett AN (1972) Antagonistic effects of high and low temperature pretreatment on the germination and pregermination ethylene synthesis of lettuce seeds. Plant Physiol 50: 201–204.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Côme D (1982) Germination. In: PMazliak, ed. Croissance et développement: Physiologie Végétale II, pp. 129–225. Paris: Hermann.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Corbineau F (1987) La germination des semences de tournesol et sa régulation par l'éthylène. C R Acad Agric Fr 73: 59–68.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Corbineau F and Côme D (1987) Regulation de la germination des semences de Tournesol par l'éthylène. In: 2 ème colloque sur les substances de croissance et leurs utilisations en agriculture, pp. 271–282. Association Nationale de Protection des Plantes, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Corbineau F, Rudnicki RM and Côme D (1988a) Induction of secondary dormancy in sunflower seeds by high temperature. Possible involvement of ethylene biosynthesis. Physiol Plant 73: 368–373.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Corbineau F, Rudnicki RM and Côme D (1988b) The effect of methyl-jasmonate on sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) seed germination and seedling development. Plant Growth Reg 7: 157–169.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Cseresnyes Z (1979) Studies on the duration of dormancy and methods of determining the germination of dormant seeds of Helianthus annuus. Seed Sci Technol 7: 179–188.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Field RJ (1981) A relationship between membrane permeability and ethylene production at high temperature in leaf tissue of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Ann Bot 48: 33–39.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Field RJ (1984) The effect of temperature on ethylene production by plant tissue. In: JARoberts and CATucker, ed. Ethylene and Plant Development, pp. 47–69. London: Butterworths.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gertman E and Fuchs Y (1972) Effect of abscisic acid and its interactions with other plant hormones on ethylene production in two plant systems. Plant Physiol 50: 194–195.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Givelberg A, Horowitz ZM and Poljakoff-Mayber A (1984) Solute leakage from Solanum nigrum L. seeds exposed to high temperature during imbibition. J Exp Bot 35: 1754–1763

    Google Scholar 

  14. Goldschmidt EE, Goren R, Evenchen Z and Bittner S (1973) Increase in free and bound abscisic acid during natural and ethylene-induced senescence of citrus fruit peel. Plant Physiol 51: 879–882.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Hall MA, Acaster MA, Bengochea T, Dodds JH, Evans DE, Jones JF, Jerie PH, Mutumba GC, Niepel B and Shaari AR (1980) Ethylene and seeds. In: FSkoog, ed. Plant Growth Substances 1979, pp. 199–207. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Horiuchi Y and Imaseki H (1986) High temperature sensitivity of auxin-induced ethylene production in Mung bean hypocotyl sections. Plant Cell Physiol 27: 453–461.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Hyodo H and Nishino T (1981) Wound induced ethylene formation in albedo tissue of citrus. Plant Physiol 67: 421–423.

    Google Scholar 

  18. John P (1983) The coupling of ethylene biosynthesis to a transmembrane electrogenic proton flux. FEBS Lett 152: 141–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Katoh H and Esashi Y (1975) Dormancy and impotency of cocklebur seeds. I. CO2, C2H4, O2 and high temperature. Plant Cell Physiol 16: 687–696.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kepczynski J and Karssen CM (1975) Requirement for the action of endogenous ethylene during germination of non-dormant seeds of Amaranthus caudatus. Physiol Plant 63: 49–52.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Ketring DL (1977) Ethylene and seed germination. In: AAKhan, ed. The Physiology and Biochemistry of Seed Dormancy and Germination, pp. 157–178. Amsterdam: Elsevier, North-Holland Biomedical Press.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Kondo K, Watanabe A and Imaseki H (1975) Relationships in actions of indole acetic acid, benzyladenine and abscisic acid in ethylene production. Plant Cell Physiol 16: 1001–1007.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Lieberman M (1979) Biosynthesis and action of ethylene. Annu Rev Plant Physiol 30: 533–591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Lieberman M and Kunishi AT (1972) Thoughts on the role of ethylene in plant growth and development. In: DJCarr, ed. Plant Growth Substances 1970, pp. 549–560 Berlin, Heidelberg, New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Mattoo AK and Lieberman M (1977) Localization of the ethylene-synthesizing system in apple tissue. Plant Physiol 60: 794–799.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Mayak S and Dilley DR (1976) Regulation of senescence in carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus): Effect of abscisic acid and carbon dioxide on ethylene production. Plant Physiol 58: 663–665.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Mayne RG and Kende H (1986) Ethylene biosynthesis in isolated vacuoles of Vicia faba L.: Requirement for membrane integrity. Planta 167: 159–165.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Meyer A, Miersch O, Büttner C, Dathe W and Sembdner G (1984) Occurrence of the plant growth regulator jasmonic acid in plants. J Plant Growth Regul 3: 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Riov J and Yang SF (1982) Effects of exogenous ethylene on ethylene production in citrus leaf tissue. Plant Phyisol 70: 136–141.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Salviet MEJR and Dilley DR (1978) Rapidly induced wound ethylene from excised segments of etiolated Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska. II. Oxygen and temperature dependency. Plant Physiol 61: 675–679.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Satoh S and Esashi Y (1984) Changes in ethylene production and in 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) and malonyl-ACC contents of cocklebur seeds during their development. Plant Cell Physiol 25: 1277–1283.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Schönbeck MW and Egley GH (1981) Changes in sensitivity of Amaranthus retroflexus L. seeds to ethylene during preincubation. I. Constant temperature. Plant Cell Environ 4: 229–235.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Sitrit Y, Riov J and Blumenfeld A (1988) Interference of phenolic compounds with the 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid assay. Plant Physiol 86: 13–15.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Srivastava AK and Dey SC (1982) Physiology of seed dormancy in sunflower. Acta Agron Acad Sci Hung 31: 70–80.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Yu YB, Adams DO and Yang SF (1980) Inhibition of ethylene production by 2,4-dinitrophenol and high temperature. Plant Physiol 66: 286–290.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Physiologie des Organes Végétaux après Récolte, C.N.R.S., 4 terRoute des Gardes, F-92190, Meudon, France

    F. Corbineau

  2. Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture, Pomologiczna 18, PL-96-100, Skierniewice, Poland

    R. M. Rudnicki

  3. Laboratoire de Physiologie Végétale Appliquée, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Tour 53, ler étage, 4, Place Jussieu, F-75252, Paris Cedex 05, France

    F. Corbineau & D. Côme

Authors
  1. F. Corbineau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. M. Rudnicki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. Côme
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Corbineau, F., Rudnicki, R.M. & Côme, D. ACC conversion to ethylene by sunflower seeds in relation to maturation, germination and thermodormancy. Plant Growth Regul 8, 105–115 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00024769

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00024769

Key words

Search

Navigation