Articles
Relationship of seed hardness development and microstructure of seed coat cell in soft seed pomegranate
Article number
1254_18
Pages
115 – 120
Language
English
Abstract
In order to learn the seed hardness of pomegranate during development, the soft seed cultivar Tunisia (TNS), the semi-soft seed cultivar Israel Sour (IS) and the hard seed cultivar Qingpi (QP) were used in this research.
Seed hardness, aril weight and total soluble solids were tested during development.
The cell microstructure and lignifying conditions in seed coat were also observed during fruit ripening, under microscope by phloroglucinol-HCl and safranine staining.
The seed hardness of TNS grown in different locations was also compared.
The maximum hardness stage was presented at the later stage of fruit development but not at the complete ripened stage.
On the 97th d after flowering, the seed hardness of TNS arrived its maximum (2.939 kg), while IS and QP got their maximum seed hardness on the 106th d after flowering, with 5.571 and 9.203 kg, respectively.
On the 124th d after flowering, at the mature stage, the seed hardness of TNS, IS and QP was 2.887, 4.242 and 8.192 kg, respectively.
The correlation between seed hardness and total soluble solids and aril weight varied in a large range.
No significant difference of seed hardness was detected among the seeds of TNS grown in different locations at the mature stage.
Micro-examination revealed that the cell wall of the integument in seed coat was highly lignified in these cultivars.
According to the cell wall thickness of the integument, the order for the three cultivars was QP>IS>TNS. The results suggest that seed hardness is probably related with the cell wall thickness of the integument in the seed coat, being TNS a soft-seeded pomegranate cultivar with significant lower cell wall thickness and the seed hardness of TNS was independent of the growing conditions.
Seed hardness, aril weight and total soluble solids were tested during development.
The cell microstructure and lignifying conditions in seed coat were also observed during fruit ripening, under microscope by phloroglucinol-HCl and safranine staining.
The seed hardness of TNS grown in different locations was also compared.
The maximum hardness stage was presented at the later stage of fruit development but not at the complete ripened stage.
On the 97th d after flowering, the seed hardness of TNS arrived its maximum (2.939 kg), while IS and QP got their maximum seed hardness on the 106th d after flowering, with 5.571 and 9.203 kg, respectively.
On the 124th d after flowering, at the mature stage, the seed hardness of TNS, IS and QP was 2.887, 4.242 and 8.192 kg, respectively.
The correlation between seed hardness and total soluble solids and aril weight varied in a large range.
No significant difference of seed hardness was detected among the seeds of TNS grown in different locations at the mature stage.
Micro-examination revealed that the cell wall of the integument in seed coat was highly lignified in these cultivars.
According to the cell wall thickness of the integument, the order for the three cultivars was QP>IS>TNS. The results suggest that seed hardness is probably related with the cell wall thickness of the integument in the seed coat, being TNS a soft-seeded pomegranate cultivar with significant lower cell wall thickness and the seed hardness of TNS was independent of the growing conditions.
Authors
X. Xie, Y. Huang, S. Tian, G. Li, S. Cao
Keywords
pomegranate, soft seed, seed hardness, seed coat, lignifying, cell wall of seed coat
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