Department of Biological Science, Tohoku University, Kawauchi, Sendai 980, Japan.
Plant Physiol. 1979 Jun;63(6):1039-43. doi: 10.1104/pp.63.6.1039.
Respiration of nondormant upper cocklebur (Xanthium pensylvanicum Wallr.) seeds was enhanced by exogenous C(2)H(4), proportionally to the concentration of C(2)H(4) and the duration of presoaking of the seeds. Benzohydroxamic acid (BHM) and salicylhydroxamic acid (SHM), inhibitors of alternative respiration, inhibited both the germination of nondormant lower cocklebur seeds and the respiration of the upper seeds presoaked for periods of 12 to 30 hours. Both the growth and respiration of axial and cotyledonary tissues were also inhibited by BHM. Moreover, BHM inhibited both the C(2)H(4)-induced germination of the upper seeds and their C(2)H(4)-stimulated respiration; the inhibition occurred only with concomitant addition of C(2)H(4) and BHM. The respiration of seeds with a secondary dormancy induced by presoaking for prolonged periods was markedly stimulated by C(2)H(4) but not suppressed by BHM. It was suggested that the alternative respiration system may be involved in the normal germination process of cocklebur seeds, secondary dormancy may result from its inactivation, and C(2)H(4) may exert its germination-promoting action by stimulating the alternative respiration. The effects of BHM and SHM can suggest but not prove the involvement of the alternative respiration in seed germination.
非休眠状态的苍耳（Xanthium pensylvanicum Wallr.）种子的呼吸作用可被外源乙烯（C2H4）增强，增强程度与 C2H4 浓度和种子浸泡时间成正比。苯甲羟肟酸（BHM）和水杨酸羟肟酸（SHM），是交替呼吸的抑制剂，既抑制了非休眠状态的苍耳下种子的萌发，也抑制了浸泡 12-30 小时的上种子的呼吸作用。BHM 还抑制了轴向和子叶组织的生长和呼吸作用。此外，BHM 抑制了上种子因 C2H4 引发的萌发及其 C2H4 刺激的呼吸作用；仅在同时添加 C2H4 和 BHM 时才会发生抑制。经过长时间浸泡而产生的二次休眠的种子的呼吸作用被 C2H4 显著刺激，但不受 BHM 抑制。这表明，交替呼吸系统可能参与了苍耳种子的正常萌发过程，二次休眠可能是由于其失活所致，而 C2H4 可能通过刺激交替呼吸来发挥其促进萌发的作用。BHM 和 SHM 的作用可以提示，但不能证明交替呼吸参与了种子的萌发。
