Loss of Viability in Lettuce Seeds and the Accumulation of Chromosome Damage under Different Storage Conditions

Rao, N K and Roberts, E H and Ellis, R H (1987) Loss of Viability in Lettuce Seeds and the Accumulation of Chromosome Damage under Different Storage Conditions. Annals of Botany, 60 (1). pp. 85-96. ISSN 0305-7364

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Abstract

Loss of seed viability in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) during storage is associated with an increase in the frequency of cells in the surviving seeds showing chromosome damage during first mitoses. The relation is linear when probit of the frequency of aberrant cells is plotted as a function of probit percentage normal germination. The slope of the relation, however, varies according to moisture content so that the proportion of aberrant cells for any given loss of germination increases with decrease in moisture content over the range 13.0–5.5 per cent. At 3.3 per cent moisture content, however, the proportion of aberrations was no greater than at 5.5 per cent moisture content; and at 18.1 per cent moisture content the proportion was no less than at 13.0 per cent moisture content. Despite these differences, the increase in chromosomal aberrations per unit time for a given temperature was always less the lower the moisture content. Diplontic selection markedly reduced the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and eliminated the differences in these frequencies between the different storage treatments. But even after five weeks' growth, root tips from aged seed still contained about twice as many aberrant cells as compared with similar root tips derived from the original seed stock. Studies on the frequency of recessive mutations indicated that excessive amounts of heritable mutations were not present in the progenies of aged seed, even when stored at moisture contents as low as 5.5 per cent. All this and other evidence reinforces the view that orthodox seeds for genetic conservation should be stored at not more than about 5 per cent moisture content, and that even lower moisture contents are worth considering. The results also emphasise the need for maintaining a high regeneration standard, i.e. the percentage to which seed viability is allowed to fall during storage before the seed stock is regenerated

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	UNSPECIFIED
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Lactuca sativa, lettuce, seed storage, seed viability, chromosomal aberrations, phenotypic mutations
Subjects:	Others > Oilseeds Others > Genetics and Genomics
Depositing User:	Ms K Syamalamba
Date Deposited:	04 Dec 2011 12:58
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2011 12:58
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/4454
Official URL:	http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/60/1/85.abst...
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	Association of Commonwealth Universities
Acknowledgement:	This work was undertaken while N.K. Rao was on leave from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Hyderabad (ICRISAT) under the sponsorship of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. It completes work at Reading being supported by the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, Rome (IBPGR). We are most grateful to these organizations for their cooperation and support. We also thank Dr P. Hadley for providing some growing facilities
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