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Changes in endogenous abscisic acid levels during dormancy release and maintenance of mature seeds: studies with the Cape Verde Islands ecotype, the dormant model of Arabidopsis thaliana

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Abstract

Mature seeds of the Cape Verde Islands (Cvi) ecotype of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. show a very marked dormancy. Dormant (D) seeds completely fail to germinate in conditions that are favourable for germination whereas non-dormant (ND) seeds germinate easily. Cvi seed dormancy is alleviated by after-ripening, stratification, and also by nitrate or fluridone treatment. Addition of gibberellins to D seeds does not suppress dormancy efficiently, suggesting that gibberellins are not directly involved in the breaking of dormancy. Dormancy expression of Cvi seeds is strongly dependent on temperature: D seeds do not germinate at warm temperatures (20–27°C) but do so easily at a low temperature (13°C) or when a fluridone treatment is given to D seeds sown at high temperature. To investigate the role of abscisic acid (ABA) in dormancy release and maintenance, we measured the ABA content in both ND and D seeds imbibed using various dormancy-breaking conditions. It was found that dry D seeds contained higher amounts of ABA than dry ND after-ripened seeds. During early imbibition in standard conditions, there was a decrease in ABA content in both seeds, the rate of which was slower in D seeds. Three days after sowing, the ABA content in D seeds increased specifically and then remained at a high level. When imbibed with fluridone, nitrate or stratified, the ABA content of D seeds decreased and reached a level very near to that of ND seeds. In contrast, gibberellic acid (GA3) treatment caused a transient increase in ABA content. When D seeds were sown at low optimal temperature their ABA content also decreased to the level observed in ND seeds. The present study indicates that Cvi D and ND seeds can be easily distinguished by their ability to synthesize ABA following imbibition. Treatments used here to break dormancy reduced the ABA level in imbibed D seeds to the level observed in ND seeds, with the exception of GA3 treatment, which was active in promoting germination only when ABA synthesis was inhibited.

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Abbreviations

ABA:

Abscisic acid

Cvi:

Cape Verde Islands

D:

Dormant

GA:

Gibberellin

GA3 :

Gibberellic acid

ND:

Non dormant

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UER de Physiologie Végétale, INA-PG, UMR INRA-INAPG Biologie des Semences, 16 rue Claude Bernard, 75231, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Sonia Ali-Rachedi, Denise Bouinot, Philippe Grappin & Marc Jullien

  2. UMR INRA-INAPG Biologie des Semences, Route de Saint Cyr, 78026, Versailles Cedex, France

    Philippe Grappin & Marc Jullien

  3. GEVES-SNES, rue Georges Morel, BP 24, 49071, Beaucouzé Cedex, France

    Marie-Hélène Wagner

  4. UMR de Physiologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire des Plantes, Laboratoire de Physiologie du Développement des Plantes, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (PVI), Tour 53 (E5, casier 156), 4 place Jussieu, 75252, Paris Cedex 05, France

    Magda Bonnet & Bruno Sotta

Authors
  1. Sonia Ali-Rachedi
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  2. Denise Bouinot
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  3. Marie-Hélène Wagner
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  4. Magda Bonnet
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  5. Bruno Sotta
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  6. Philippe Grappin
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  7. Marc Jullien
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Correspondence to Marc Jullien.

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Ali-Rachedi, S., Bouinot, D., Wagner, MH. et al. Changes in endogenous abscisic acid levels during dormancy release and maintenance of mature seeds: studies with the Cape Verde Islands ecotype, the dormant model of Arabidopsis thaliana . Planta 219, 479–488 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-004-1251-4

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