Wheat germination

The responses of the test seed to increased external osmolarity were determined by germinating the seeds in a polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution of 40.3 mOsm (10). The only test seeds significantly affected by this treatment were those of tomato where PEG-treated seed germination was 69.3% of that observed in deionized water. Dilution of the aqueous extract to 1 32 (w/w) removed all inhibitory action, but the diluted solution increased wheat germination. 

Bottari, A., Capocchi, A., Fontanini, D., Galleschi, L. 1996. Major proteinase hydrolysing gliadin during wheat germination. Phytochemistry 43 39 44. 

Aliotta, G., Cafiero, G., Fiorentino, A., Oliva, A., and Temussi, F. 2002. Olive oil mill wastewater isolation of polyphenols and their action on radish and wheat germination in vitro. Allelopathy J. 9, 9-17... 

Koc, H., Smail, V.W. and Wetzel, D.L. (2008) Reliability of InGaAs focal plane array imaging of wheat germination at early stages. J. Cereal Set, 48, 394-400. 

Five-g samples of wheat plant material were soaked in 150 ml of water for 10 hr at room temperature. The mixture was filtered and the filtrate used to germinate pitted morningglory (Ipomoea lacunosa L.) and ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) seed. The effect of the extract on germination was tested in the presence and absence of light. 

Table IX. Effect of Light on Morningglory and Ragweed Germination with Aqueous Wheat Extract...

Another very common phytochemical isolated was phytol (3,7,11, 15-tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-l-ol), the diterpenoid alcohol which forms the "tail" of chlorophyll. This compound is nearly insoluble in water, but when applied as a 0.1 mM (0.003 wt. %) solution in 0.1% DMS0 it increased onion germination while decreasing germination in sorghum, wheat, and carrot. The germination effects are significant at only the 95% level, but pretreatment studies are planned as part of other terpene chemistry studies at SRRC and LSI). 

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