Overcoming dormancy in seeds with ethanol and other anesthetics.

Dormancy in fall panicum (Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx.) caryopses (seeds) is overcome by imbibition at 35° C in ethanol solutions. Whereas germination in the absence of ethanol depends on active phytochrome, the seeds may germinate in darkness after treatment with 0.2 to 0.5 M ethanol. Ethanol overcomes dormancy also in seeds of several other weedy grass species. Ethyl ether, chloroform, methanol, and acetone act similarly to ethanol. We suggest that this action depends on modifyng the properties of a membrane(s) in a manner related to the actions of other anesthetics.