JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2022, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5): 104-112.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202106015

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Effects of endogenous inhibitors on seed germination of Cercis canadensis

WANG Haoyu1(), GAO Yunpeng1, ZHU Mingwei1, WU Yang1, XU Linqiao2, LI Shuxian1,*()   

  1. 1. College of Forestry, Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
    2. Yancheng Forest Farm, Yancheng 224136,China
  • Received:2021-06-09 Revised:2021-11-01 Online:2022-09-30 Published:2022-10-19
  • Contact: LI Shuxian E-mail:haoyuw@njfu.edu.cn;shuxianli@njfu.com.cn

Abstract:

【Objective】 The relationship between endogenous inhibitors and seed dormancy of Cercis canadensis was explored to provide evidence for revealing its seed dormancy and the mechanisms for breaking dormancy. 【Method】 Stratification treatments at cold temperatures were applied to break the seed dormancy of C. canadensis after 80 ℃ water pretreatment. The germination percentage and the bioactivity of seeds at different stratification stages were determined. Combined with GC-MS/HPLC and effective semi-inhibitory concentration (IC50), the endogenous inhibitor types in the seed of C. canadensis and the content of these endogenous inhibitors in the dormancy breaking process were analyzed. 【Result】 The endogenous inhibitors in the seed of C. canadensis resulted in seed dormancy. The dormancy was gradually released along with the time of stratification. The inhibition of the C. canadensis seed coat and the endosperm separation on the germination of cabbage seeds was ether phase > methanol phase > water phase ≈ ethyl acetate phase > petroleum ether phase. This indicated that endogenous inhibitors in the seed coat and the endosperm mainly existed in the ether phase, the methanol phase, and the ethyl acetate phase of the seed coat-endosperm extraction. Six inhibitor types in the seed coat-endosperm separation of C. canadensis were identified using GC-MS, including oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol (BHT) and pyrogallol. The IC50 was performed to determine these six standards and results showed that oleic acid had no inhibitory effect on the seed germination of cabbage. A higher concentration of linoleic acid, palmitto acid, and stearic acid inhibited cabbage germination, while lower concentrations of BHT and pyrogallol strongly retarded cabbage germination. In the dormancy release process, linoleic acid content resulted in a “decrease-increase-decrease” trend. Meanwhile, the content of palmitic acid, stearic acid, BHT and pyrogallol presented a decreasing trend, decreasing by 42.43%, 52.00%, 5.77% and 96.14%, respectively. 【Conclusion】 By combining IC50 and the changes of inhibitor content in the stratification process, it was concluded that pyrocatechol may be the main inhibitor of C. canadensis seed dormancy.

Key words: Cercis canadensis, seed dormancy, endogenous inhibitors, gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), effective semi-inhibitory concentration(IC50)

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