Changes in phenolic inhibitors in seeds of Acer saccharum during stratification

Phenolics in sugar maple seeds were identified by colour reactions, u.v. spectroscopy and gas-liquid chromatography. Changes in their inhibitory activity during stratification were also followed using several bioassays. p-Coumaric, o-coumaric, and ferulic acids were found in all tissues. The highest...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental botany 1980-04, Vol.31 (121), p.425-436
Main Authors: Enu-Kwesi, L, Dumbroff, E.B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetates
Bioassay
Cotyledons
Cucumbers
Embryos
Germination
Maple sugar
plant biochemistry
plant physiology
Seed germination
Seeds
Testa
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Summary:Phenolics in sugar maple seeds were identified by colour reactions, u.v. spectroscopy and gas-liquid chromatography. Changes in their inhibitory activity during stratification were also followed using several bioassays. p-Coumaric, o-coumaric, and ferulic acids were found in all tissues. The highest concentrations were noted in the embryonic axis and testa, but total amounts per fruit were highest in cotyledons and pericarp. p-Coumaric acid was the principal phenolic in dry seeds, and it declined substantially in all tissues during the first half of stratification with little subsequent change thereafter. Decreases in o-coumaric and ferulic acids per seed were small by comparison, nevertheless losses ranged between 36 and 68% of the original concentrations. Bioassays confirmed that the three endogenous phenolics possessed marked inhibitory properties that diminished with the progress of stratilication, but only the compound identified as p-coumaric acid showed major inhibition in seed germination tests.
ISSN:0022-0957
1460-2431
DOI:10.1093/jxb/31.2.425