Endosperm dormancy breakage in olive seeds

Abstract

Seeds of Olea europaea L. ssp. oleaster Hoffm. and Link freed from the sclerous endoearp and incubated in water at 15 or 25°C in darkness or in 12:12 h white light:dark conditions, did not germinate, due to dormancy imposed by the endosperm. Seeds also did not germinate when incubated in abscisic acid, gibberellic acid, kinetin or zeatin in darkness and at cither 15 or 25°C. SAN 9789 |4‐chloro‐5‐(methylamine)‐2‐(a,a,a‐trifluoro‐m‐tolyl)‐3‐(2H)‐pyridazmone] did not promote germination at 15°C but it did to a 75% level at 25°C. This promoting effect of SAN was counteracted by abscisic acid. Cultures of naked embryos grew equally well in the presence or absence of SAN 9789. 6‐Benzylaminopurine promoted whole seed germination to a 15% level. Copyright © 1984, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserve