title: Ethylene as a Component of the Emanations From Germinating Peanut Seeds and Its Effect on Dormant Virginia-type Seeds.
abstract: The embryonic axes of Spanish-type peanut seeds that do not exhibit dormancy to any extent were found to produce ethylene during germination. Virginia-type peanut seeds of the extremely dormant variety NC-13 produced low levels of ethylene when imbibed but not germinating. Treatments that released dormancy of NC-13 peanut seeds resulted in increased ethylene production by the embryonic axis. The estimated internal concentration of ethylene in Virginia-type peanut seeds was 0.4 ppm at 24 hr of germination. Fumigation with an external concentration of 3.0 to 3.5 ppm for 6 hr was sufficient to break dormancy of Virginia-type peanut seeds. These results suggest that ethylene is associated with the germination processes of non-dormant seeds and participates in the breaking of seed dormancy of dormant peanut varieties.
authors.affiliation: Crops Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture and Department of Plant Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Ketring
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Morgan