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- Author or Editor: Dale W. Kretchman x
Seed from six species of the Apiaceae and six parsley (Petroselinum crispum L.) cultivars with three seed lots of each parsley cultivar were tested for the presence of germination inhibiting substances. Aqueous leachate from seed of all six species inhibited germination of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and radish (Raphanus sativus L.). Leachate from root parsley seeds (P. crispum tuberosum) were least inhibitory, while leachate from celery and celeriac (both Apium graveolens L.) seeds were most inhibitory. Inhibitory concentrations in leachate varied by seed lot within a cultivar. Aqueous leachate of seeds from the primary umbels caused less inhibition of germination than did leachate from tertiary umbels. Washing parsley seeds in aerated water for 3 hours or more removed some of the germination inhibitory substance as indicated by the germination bioassay. An aqueous extract prepared from seedcoat tissue, removed during mechanical scarification, inhibited radish seed germination; inhibition was proportional to the duration of scarification and the amount of seedcoat tissue extracted. Parsley seeds scarified ≤60 minutes germinated at rates comparable to washed seeds, but longer scarification time reduced germination. Washing seeds of Apiaceae prior to commercial drying and cleaning may be a practical solution for removal of inhibitors.
Abstract
‘Sumter’ cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus L.) were grown in an acid-washed sand with a modified Hoagland's solution containing calcium (Ca) at 160 (control), 80, or 40 mg·liter−1. Fruits grown under low Ca levels developed water-soaked and necrotic lesions on the epidermis and pericarp of the distal end of the fruits. Some Ca-stressed fruits also developed a placental disruption near the stem-end forming a cylindrical air pocket. Fruit fresh and dry weights from 40 mg Ca/liter were lower than those of the control between weeks 4 to 7 of development. The Ca content of the fruit pericarp sections decreased with increased Ca stress. Regardless of treatment, the proximal peduncle portion contained the highest level of Ca, while the distal section contained the lowest. Seed quality was also reduced from Ca stress. Almost all dry seeds from the control but only 70% of those from 40 mg Ca/liter germinated with the standard germination test. Drying seed at 25C for 5 days reduced the viability of Ca-stressed seeds, when compared to undried seed (72% vs. 99% germination). The vigor of the control seeds was significantly higher when dried. Seeds from the 40 mg Ca/liter treatment produced a significantly higher proportion of abnormal seedlings than the control seeds (58% vs. 4%).
Abstract
Tomato transplants were packed 4 ways: 1) conventionally, 2) densely, 3) with soil adhering to the roots, and 4) moist plants with moist soil adhering to the roots. During transit from Georgia to Ohio, the temperature in those crates that were packed densely was 4° to 5°C higher than any of the other treatments. Furthermore, plant survival and subsequent yields in the field were reduced by packing too densely. When tomato transplants were stored at 10°, 16°, 21°, and 27° for 4 days, the percentage of dry matter in plant stems increased, and the survival of transplants decreased with increased storage temperature.
Abstract
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit (‘Heinz 3534’) subjected to mechanical stress followed by storage for 48 hr exhibited visible degeneration of the mesocarp and endocarp, which was accompanied by several-fold increases in the activity of the enzymes pectin methylesterase, peroxidase, polygalacturonase, and xylanase. The activity of all these enzymes increased in the endocarp, whereas only pectin methylesterase and polygalacturonase increased in the mesocarp, and pectin methylesterase, peroxidase, and polygalacturonase increased in the exocarp. Further, the increase in the activity of pectin methylesterase, peroxidase, and polygalacturonase was less when cucumbers were stored at 0° or 10°C vs. 25° or 38° after mechanical stress. Cucumbers stored for only 8 hr after mechanical stress, or not stressed, and stored for 8 or 48 hr showed no consistent significant increases in enzyme activity. Endocarp firmness of fruit stored at 25° or 38° for 8 hr after mechanical stress was lower than that of unstressed fruit, but this decrease was not evident after 48 hr of storage, and mesocarp firmness was not affected by mechanical stress regardless of storage temperature or time. Ethylene production was stimulated significantly by 8-hr storage at 0°, following mechanical stress, and by 48-hr storage at 0°, but was unaffected by all other treatment and storage regimes. These data indicate that mechanical stress induces biochemical and morphological changes in the major tissues of cucumber fruit, but tissue firmness and/or ethylene production will not serve as indicators of these changes. Moreover, the effects of mechanical stress do not appear to be mediated through the action of ethylene.