Chemical inhibitors of viviparous germination in the fruit of watermelon.
It is well known that the seeds of watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum and Nakai] have a high potential to germinate when the fruit has ripened. When removed from the mature fruit, the seeds can germinate under appropriate conditions. However, it is unclear why they cannot germinate in the flesh of the fruit. Here, we show that cis-ABA and its β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (ABA-β-GE) accumulate in the flesh of the fruit at levels high enough to inhibit seed germination. This result indicates the existence of chemical factors that inhibit viviparous seed germination of watermelon.
Kobayashi
Yoshiki
Y
Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, Division of Applied Bioscience, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan.
Nabeta
Kensuke
K
Matsuura
Hideyuki
H
D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D029773:Citrullus / Q000502:physiology*; D005638:Fruit / Q000502:physiology; D018525:Germination; D012639:Seeds / Q000502:physiology*
C488692:abscisic acid-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester; D000040:Abscisic Acid