Vol. 84 No: 3

Title:
Seed germinability in Musa velutina Wendl. & Drude is markedly lowered by 1 week in dry-storage

Authors:
S. NAGANO, G. MORI and M. ODA

pp: 325-328

Abstract:
We investigated the effects of dry-storage of Musa velutina seeds on seed and embryo germination. Seeds were collected immediately after harvest and stored in dry vermiculite at 25°C, in the dark, for 0, 1, 2, or 4 months. The germinability of dry-stored seeds was assessed by incubation in vermiculite at 25°C for 4 months, with 75% [(w/w); –0.01 MPa] moisture content to promote embryo development in viable seeds. Seeds that had not been dry-stored and stored in vermiculite at 75% (w/w) moisture content for 4 months showed 90% germination by 20 d after sowing, but no seeds that had been dry-stored for longer than 1 month germinated. Seeds were also dry-stored at 25°C, in the dark, in Petri dishes for 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks after harvest and the embryos removed from these seeds were cultured on MS medium. All embryos that had been isolated from seeds at harvest (i.e., 0 weeks in dry-storage) germinated during embryo culture. However, embryos removed from seeds that had been dry-stored for 1 week showed a substantial decrease in both size and germinability. Seeds were also stored at different moisture contents for 4 months after harvest. No seeds that had been stored at 0% moisture content (i.e., dry) germinated, but > 85% of seeds stored at ≥ 25% (w/w) moisture contents germinated. Higher moisture contents increased the uniformity of seed germination, showing that M. velutina seeds rapidly lose their germinability through dehydration, indicating that they are sensitive to desiccation.

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