BACKGROUND AND AIMS α-Amylase in grass caryopses (seeds) is usually expressed upon commencement of germination and is rarely seen in dry, mature seeds. A heat-stable α-amylase activity was unexpectedly selected for expression in dry annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) seeds during targeted selection for low primary dormancy. The aim of this study was to characterize this constitutive activity bioc...

UNLABELLED The purpose of this investigation was to monitor the localization and migration of 125I seeds after permanent brachytherapy for prostate cancer using a new scintigraphic technique that may overcome the drawbacks of conventional x-ray methods. METHODS 125I seeds emit gamma-rays with an average energy peak of 28 keV. We used a gamma-camera equipped with low-energy high-resolution col...

This paper presents a novel machine vision-based auto-sorting system for Chinese cabbage seeds. The system comprises an inlet-outlet mechanism, machine vision hardware and software, and control system for sorting seed quality. The proposed method can estimate the shape, color, and textural features of seeds that are provided as input neurons of neural networks in order to classify seeds as "goo...

Seed germination in Ludwigia was greatly influenced by seed age and soil type. In Ludwigia abyssinica germination was not influenced by seed age and soil texture. Freshly shed seeds and six month old seeds of Ludwigia decurrens variety B showed a very low percentage germination on all the germination media, and six month old seeds germinated significantly earlier than freshly shed seeds. Some s...

Aging of Scots pine seeds (Pinus sylvestris L.) leads to changes in seed quality, such as loss of germinability, delayed growth and abnormality in developing seedlings. The knowledge of biochemical changes responsible for these aging processes is plentiful in some seeds, which are of world-wide interest, but for pine seeds these studies are rare. The aim of the present study, was to analyse pin...

Germination from the soil seed bank (SSB) is an important determinant of species composition in tropical forest gaps, with seed persistence in the SSB allowing trees to recruit even decades after dispersal. The capacity to form a persistent SSB is often associated with physical dormancy, where seed coats are impermeable at the time of dispersal. Germination literature often speculates, without ...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the vigor and viability as well as to determine and compare the contents of selected protein fractions of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) seeds stored for 26 years at temperatures of -14°C and +20°C. The seeds stored at -14°C germinated in 86.3%, while the seeds stored at +20°C did not germinate at all. The viability evaluation was confirmed by the measuring ...

Temperature and water potential strongly influence seed dormancy status and germination of Bromus tectorum. As seeds of this plant can be killed by the ascomycete fungus Pyrenophora semeniperda, this study was conducted to learn how water potential and temperature influence mortality levels in this pathosystem. Separate experiments were conducted to determine: (1) if P. semeniperda can kill dor...

It is commonly recognized that light-sensitive seeds require a period of imbibition before full promotion of germination by a light stimulus can be attained. Yet little work describes the nature of these preliminary events. Of the several major limitations that may be involved, clearly the rehydration (or activation) of phytochrome and the system with which it interacts are the chief ones to co...