Cryo-stress in pine seeds

Abstract

The rapid decrease in seed viability requires new storage methods. Conventional cryopreservation /storage methods have been widely used by researchers for seed survival studies. In this study, optimum protocols were determined and investigations made on the successful cryo-storage of the three pines (P. pinea, P. pseudostrobus and P. caribaea). The results show that (i) moisture content of orthodox seeds, in pines, especially P. pinea seeds is not a major determinant of survival; (ii) pre-storage treatments (stepwise freezing treatments) proved to be the best optimum protocols as compared to the conventional plunge in liquid nitrogen; (iii) leakage in P. caribaea seeds did not indicate any stressing of those seeds whilst in P. pinea seeds leakage appeared to be a stress marker; and (iv) orthodox seeds or embryos can be cryopreserved at 5 -13 % moisture contents, whilst storage between moisture contents of 15 -26 % or more will be lethal, as shown by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies on P. pinea embryos in this study.

Date of Award	Jun 2007
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bedfordshire