Vol. 85 No: 4

Title:
Promotion of seed germination in Musa velutinaWendl. & Drude by scarification and GA₃

Authors:
SHINGO NAGANO, GENJIRO MORI and MASAYUKI ODA

pp: 267-270

Abstract:
Seeds of Musa velutina Wendl. & Drude contain immature embryos and are unable to germinate under natural conditions. We investigated the effects of scarification and the application of exogenous gibberellic acid (GA₃) on seed germination and on -amylase activity in these seeds. Scarification treatments that penetrated the hard seed coat promoted germination of seeds collected at harvest (76.7% germination by 14 d after sowing under aseptic conditions). On the other hand, intact seeds did not germinate under aseptic conditions. The application of GA₃ to scarified seeds significantly promoted germination and decreased the number of days until germination. All seeds sown on filter paper moistened with 10 mg l^-1 GA₃ germinated within 14 d of sowing. GA₃ increased the -amylase activity in scarified seeds, whereas application of the GA-biosynthesis inhibitor, paclobutrazol, decreased -amylase activity and resulted in a lower percentage of seed germination. These results indicate that the inability of M. velutina seeds to germinate resulted from the hard seed coat, which inhibited water absorption. Scarification and exogenous GA₃ treatments promoted the germination of M. velutina seeds collected at harvest. Moreover, scarification treatment alone may increase the endogenous gibberellic acid content and induce the biosynthesis of -amylase in the embryo.

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