Effect of NaCI and polyethylene glycol on solute content and glycosidase activities during germination of lentil seeds.

Corchete, P.; Guerra, H.

Lentil seeds were sown in water and with different concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 or NaCl. Redicle emergence and growth emergence and growth were delayed by these substances. In cotyledons under stress no variations in solutes occurred, whereas in embryonic axes an accumulation of soluble sugars was observed. The major constituents of the soluble carbohydrates were sucrose, galactose and mannose. Glycosidase activities were not significantly affected in PEG- or NaCl-germinated seeds, except axis α-galactosidase, whose activity during axis growth was higher under stress. Water and salt stress did not have a marked effect on carbohydrate metabolism in intact seedlings. The rate of release of 14C from [6-14C]-glucose was similar in the stressed seeds and in the control seeds.

LENTILS; PLANT-water relationships; PLANT growth; SALT; WATER

Plant, Cell & Environment, 1986, Vol 9, Issue 7, p589

0140-7791

Academic Journal

10.1111/1365-3040.ep11616339