The Novel Use Of Commercial Enzymes To Depulp The Fruits And Seeds Of Selected Australian Native Species For Seed Storage And Germination

摘要

The seeds of many native Australian species are enclosed in fleshy drupes, berries and other covering structures such as sarcotestas, and arils (Marchant et al. 1987). These layers can be very pulpy containing significant amounts of pectins, sugars and water which can cause significant processing and storage problems. Fleshy outer layers facilitate seed dispersal through endozoochory (Baskin & Baskin 1998) by animals such as emus (Hopkins & Griffin 1984) that deposit seeds and endocarps in scats, some distance from the parent plant. Fleshy fruits occur in many Australian native genera including Persoonia, Leucopogon, Eremophila, Dianella, Rhagodia, Scaevola and Nitraria (Marchant et al. 1987; Paczkowska & Chapman 2000). In comparison, fleshy sarcotestas are found in genera such as Lomandra. Pulpy diaspores are important food sources for native animals (Hopkins & Griffin 1984). During digestion, the pulpy layers are removed by gut acids and enzymes that have minimal effect on seeds or woody endocarps. The removal of these surrounding structures during digestion is an important prerequisite for germination (Baskin & Baskin 1998). Indeed, if these surrounding layers are not removed, their continuing presence remains a significant impediment to germination (Dixon 1984).