Summary
During imbibition of whole tea seeds (6 days) two purine alkaloids, caffeine and theobromine, did not decrease in the seed coats and there was no increase in the seeds. In parallel with and after the breaking of seed coats there was a gradual release of caffeine from coats of germinating seeds. By contrast, when the seed was freed from the outer seed coat and soaked, imbibition of the seed required only 2 days and simultaneously caffeine was released from the inner seed coat. In such seeds, but not in whole seeds, growth of embryonic tissues (roots and shoots) was inhibited after the breaking of the inner seed coats. Nevertheless, caffeine increased more in such roots of the seedlings of decoated seeds than in roots of normal seedlings.
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Suzuki, T., Waller, G.R. Allelopathy due to purine alkaloids in tea seeds during germination. Plant Soil 98, 131–136 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381733
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02381733