Dormancy breaking and germination requirements were determined for seeds of the eastern North American (eNA) species Sanicula canadensis, Sanicula gregaria and Sanicula trifoliata, and the data compared to those available for the European–Asian (EurA) congener Sanicula europaea. Seeds of the three eNA species had underdeveloped embryos that were physiologically dormant, i.e., morphophysiologica...

Seeds of Balanites aegyptiaca stored for one year were germinated using cold and boiling water pre-treatments and different sowing orientations. Whole fruits were soaked in cold water for (18, 24 and 48 hours, respectively), while extracted sun dried seeds were immersed in boiling water for 7 minutes. Seeds of each treatment were sown in three orientations (seeds laid vertically with stalk end ...

In this research, the uptake of Cu, Mo, Zn, As(III) and Cr(VI) by mesquite (Prosopis spp.) roots and shoots from two different sources was studied. The first source was seeds collected from plants grown in mine tailings in Arizona, USA (Seeds A) and the other source was seeds from a commercial vendor (Seeds B). In addition, the effects of above mentioned elements on plant growth and nutrient up...

BACKGROUND Mannans are key components of lignocellulose present in the hemicellulosic fraction of plant primary cell walls. Mannan endo-1,4-beta-mannosidases (1,4-beta-D-mannanases) catalyze the random hydrolysis of beta-1,4-mannosidic linkages in the main chain of beta-mannans. Biodegradation of beta-mannans by the action of thermostable mannan endo-1,4-beta-mannosidase offers significant tech...

Investigations were carried out on the mineral nutrients and organic food contents of seeds of three fodder Lablab purpureus, Leucaena leucocephala and Mucuna utilis for domestic consumption and industrial utilization. Leucaena leucocephala seeds contained the highest amount of lipids crude protein carbohydrates and ash contents. Lablab purpureus contained the lowest amount of lipid crude prote...

The fate of seeds during secondary dispersal is largely unknown for most species in most ecosystems. This paper deals with sources of seed output of Prosopis flexuosa D.C. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae) from the surface soil seed-bank. Prosopis flexuosa is the main tree species in the central Monte Desert, Argentina. In spite of occasional high fruit production, P. flexuosa seeds are not usually found...

Black walnut (Jug/am nigra L.) seeds are large and require stratification for germination. However, many seeds fail to germinate following stratification. Radiography can be used to select empty seeds, but cannot determine which full seeds will germinate. The objective of this study was to determine if any discrimination could bc achieved through use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectros...

The regeneration of plant communities from seed depends, to a large extent, on the capacity of the seed remaining viable in the soil. The viability and germination of artificially buried Psychotria vellosiana seeds in cerrado soil were studied, with the purpose of discovering some physio-ecological aspects of dispersed seeds and evaluating their potential to constitute a soil seed bank. Seed sa...

Seeds are under strong pressure from seed predators. Therefore any physical seed trait increasing the chances of the seed’s survival should undergo positive selection. Seed color polymorphism, varying from pale to dark seeds, occurs in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), a keystone species of coniferous forests in Eurasia. This phenomenon can be explained by the production of large quantities of emp...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Pathogen-seed interactions may involve a race for seed resources, so that seeds that germinate more quickly, mobilizing reserves, will be more likely to escape seed death than slow-germinating seeds. This race-for-survival hypothesis was tested for the North American seed pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda on seeds of the annual grass Bromus tectorum, an invasive plant in Nort...