High germination seed lots of purple coneflower [Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench] were evaluated for laboratory germination following osmotic priming or chilling stratification. Compared to nontreated seeds, osmotic priming at 25C in salts (KNO3 + K3PO4; 1:1, w/w) or polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG) increased early (3-day) germination percentage at 27C of all seed lots, and improved total (10-day) germination percentage of low-germination seed lots. Total germination percentage was unaffected or increased by priming for 4 days compared to 8 days, and by priming at –1.0 MPa compared to –0.5 MPa (except for one low-germination seed lot). Chilling stratification in water at 5 or 10C increased early and total germination of all seed lots, except for that same lot, compared to nontreated seeds. Total germination percentage was unaffected or increased by stratification at 10C rather than at 5C. Neither extending stratification ≥20 days nor lowering osmotic potential with PEG during stratification improved total germination percentage.
Osmotic compounds, such as polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG-8000), reduce plant elongation by imposing controlled drought. However, the effects of PEG-8000 on nutrient uptake are unknown. Impatiens `Dazzler Pink' (Impatiens walleriana Hook. F.) were grown hydroponically in modified Hoagland solutions containing 0, 10, 17.5, 25, 32.5, 40, 47.5, 55, or 62.5 g·L–1 PEG-8000. Impatiens were up to 68% shorter than control plants when grown with PEG-8000 in the nutrient solution. Plants treated with PEG-8000 rates above 25 g·L–1 were either damaged or similar in size to seedlings treated with 25 g·L–1 of PEG-8000. Impatiens leaf water potentials (Ψw) were positively correlated with plant height. PEG-8000 reduced the electrical conductivity of Hoagland solutions as much as 40% compared to nontreated Hoagland solutions, suggesting that PEG-8000 may bind some of the nutrient ions in solution. Foliar tissue of PEG-treated impatiens contained significantly less nitrogen, calcium, zinc, and copper, but significantly more phosphorus and nickel than tissue from nontreated impatiens. However, no nutrient deficiency symptoms were induced.
French marigold (Tagetes patula L. `Boy Orange') was grown in a peat-based growing medium containing different rates (0, 15, 20, 30, 42, or 50 g·L–1) of polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG-8000) to determine if PEG-8000 would reduce seedling height. Only 28% to 55% of seedlings treated with 62, 72, or 83 g·L–1 of PEG-8000 survived, and these treatments would be commercially unacceptable. Marigolds treated with the remaining concentrations of PEG-8000 had shorter hypocotyls, and were up to 38% shorter than nontreated controls at harvest. Marigold cotyledon water (ψw), osmotic (ψs), and turgor (ψp) potentials were significantly reduced by PEG-8000, and ψp was close to zero for all PEG-treated seedlings 18 days after seeding. Whole-plant net photosynthesis, whole-plant dark respiration, and net photosynthesis/leaf area ratios were reduced by PEG-8000, while specific respiration of seedlings treated with PEG-8000 increased. Marigolds treated with concentrations greater than 30 g·L–1 of PEG-8000 had net photosynthesis rates that were close to zero. Fourteen days after transplanting, PEG-treated marigolds were still shorter than nontreated seedlings and they flowered up to 5 days later. Concentrations of PEG from 15 to 30 g·L–1 reduced elongation of marigold seedlings without negatively affecting germination, survival, or plant quality. It appears that marigold seedlings were shorter because of reduced leaf ψp and reductions in net photosynthesis.
We previously found that incorporation of PEG-8000 into the growing medium delayed germination and resulted in shorter seedlings. However, in that study, we were unable to determine whether the reduced height was merely the effect of delayed germination or of reduced elongation after germination. To answer this question, we studied whether postgermination drenches with PEG-8000 can reduce seedling height. Annual salvia (Salvia splendens F. Sellow. ex Roem. & Shult. `Bonfire') and French marigold (Tagetes patula L. `Boy Orange') seedlings were treated with drenches of PEG-8000: 0, 15, 20, 30, 42, 50, 62, 72, or 83 g·L–1. At least 20% of seedlings treated with 62 to 83 g·L–1 of PEG-8000 were dead 14 d after treatment. Salvia and marigolds treated with the remaining PEG-8000 concentrations were up to 34% and 14% shorter than untreated seedlings, respectively. Leaf water (Ψw) and turgor potential (Ψp) also decreased for salvia which were grown with greater concentrations of PEG-8000, one probable cause of the observed reduction in elongation. Since the PEG-8000 in this study was applied after germination, it is clear that PEG-8000 does not reduce elongation merely by delaying germination, but also by reducing the elongation rate. Thus, postgermination drenches with PEG-8000 can be used to produce shorter seedlings.
Micropropagated grapes (Vitis sp. `Valiant') were subjected to water stress while rooting with the addition of 2% (w/v) PEG 8000. PEG-treated plantlets exhibited reduced growth, as compared to control (in vitro, no PEG), but developed greater leaf epicuticular wax. PEG-treated plantlets had three times the wax level of control. Although treated plantlets showed changes in leaf anatomy, no effect on stomatal frequency or stomatal index was evident. Differences in epidermal cell configuration were also observed among leaves from different treatments. PEG-treated plantlets resembled those grown in the greenhouse, morphologically and anatomically, and exhibited a higher survival rate than control upon transfer to the greenhouse.
Cell suspension cultures of four date palm cultivars were established, namely, Niboat Saif, Madjhool, Sukarri, and Berhi. In this study, two factors were tested for their effect on embryo maturation and hyperhydration. The effect of sucrose concentration was assessed by inoculating 0.5 g of embryogenic callus into a liquid MS basal medium supplemented with 10 mg/L inositol, 3 mg/L glycine, 20 mg/L glutamine, and 0, 20, 30, 40, 50 g/L sucrose. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentration effect on embryo maturation and hyperhydration was tested. PEG (molecular weight 7000–9000) was added at concentrations of 0, 10, 30, and 60 g/L to the date palm suspension cultures. Cultures were examined and subcultured every 3 weeks for 2 months. Embryos formed were then transferred to a solid MS medium supplemented with 10 mg/L inositol, 3 mg/L glycine, 5 mg/L glutamine, and 30 g/L sucrose. The number of embryos germinated from each treatment was counted to compare cultivar differences. Preliminary data suggests that the medium containing 30 g/L sucrose is most effective for embryo maturation, and those embryos germinated when transferred to a solidified MS medium. The study found that incorporating PEG into the medium reduced the hyperhydration of date palm tissues. The various cultivars reacted differently to the treatments employed.
Abstract
Ficus benjamina L. were subjected to 48 hr of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced water stress. Leaf abscission and concentrations of endogenous ethylene (C2H4) in the leaves were monitored. Leaf abscission began 24 to 48 hr after stress initiation, and most abscission occurred within the first 24 hr after water stress was relieved. PEG-stressed plants lost 35% to 47% of their leaves by 120 hr after the experiment was initiated. Older leaves abscised first and remained green throughout the abscission process. Endogenous C2H4 concentrations increased sharply and then declined during the first 6 hr of water stress. Endogenous C2H4 concentrations then increased gradually, and, by the time leaf abscission began, leaves contained 1.50 to 2.25 µl C2H4/liter.
An undergraduate class in postharvest physiology observed a number of factors in the senescence of cut roses, which had been studied separately in the literature. They assessed the relative importance of the factors in determining vase life. `Samantha' roses were held at 20C in distilled water or a floral preservative. Ethylene treatment caused petal distortion and premature senescence. Floral preservatives stimulated ethylene production, although vase life was extended relative to flowers in water. Higher sugar contents and respiration were maintained in preservative than in water. Water uptake by roses was almost constant, but stem resistance to water flow increased faster in water than in preservative. In the 2nd week of vase life, transpiration exceeded water uptake, particularly for roses in water. As much of this water was lost through leaves as through the flower. The results suggest that a complex interaction of several factors determines vase life.
polysaccharide synthesis and metabolic energy ( Kwack, 1965 ). Alternatively, polyethylene glycol (PEG) has been used in some systems to lower the water potential of the media and allow sucrose concentrations to be lowered, producing higher germination rates and
(hydropriming) and PEG (osmopriming) increased germination rate and quality of seedling ( Kamau and Maina, 2017 ; Pill and Kilian, 2000 ), whereas parsley seeds treated with GA using Progibb Plus 2X (Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, IL) as a priming agent