Spatial and temporal nature of reactive oxygen species production and programmed cell death in elm( Ulmuspumila L.) seeds during controlled deterioration

摘要

Seed deterioration is a major problem in agricultural production. Some damage to seeds during storage is inevitable and depends on the temperature and relative air humidity in the storage vessel, seed moisture content (MC), duration of storage, type of seed and initial seed quality (Priestley 1986). As seeds lost viability during ageing, DNA gradually degrades into internucleosomal fragments, resulting in " DNA laddering" ( Kranner et al 2010). Programmed cell death (PCD) has been well studied in animals. Knowledge is limited regarding the mechanisms that regulate and execute plant cell death (Cacas 2010). Our findings identify PCD as a key mechanism that occurs asymmetrically during the controlled deterioration treatment of elm seeds and suggest animportant role of PCD in seed deterioration.