ABSTRACT
More than 30 years ago, the Nordic Gene Bank established a long-term experiment on seeds stored under permafrost conditions in an abandoned mine corridor in Svalbard, as a tool to monitor storage life under these conditions. The study included seeds from 16 Nordic agricultural and horticultural crops, each represented by two or three cultivars (altogether 38 accessions). All seeds were ultra-dried to 3%-5% moisture before being sealed in glass tubes. Germination tests were performed in accordance with the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) protocols. At the initiation of the experiment, the samples showed good germination with the median value at 92%. The overall picture remained stable over the first twenty to twenty-five years. However, the variation became larger over time and at 30 years, the median value had dropped to 80%. At the lower end, with a high drop in germination, we found rye, wheat, and English ryegrass. At the upper end, we found Kentucky bluegrass and cucumber. The lowest germination was found in samples with the highest initial seed moisture levels. Pre-storage conditions are likely to be of major importance for longevity.
ABSTRACT
Growth, root aerenchyma, and profiles of radial O2 loss (ROL) along adventitious roots were evaluated in 35 'wild' Hordeum accessions and cultivated barley (H. vulgare L. ssp. vulgare) when grown in stagnant nutrient solution (deoxygenated and containing 0.1% agar). When grown in stagnant solution, accessions from wetland and 'intermediate' habitats were superior, compared with accessions from non-wetland habitats, in maintaining relative growth rate, tillering, and adventitious root mass. Constitutive aerenchyma formation in adventitious roots was ≥10% in 22 accessions (cf. H. vulgare at 2%). When grown in stagnant solution, aerenchyma was ≥ 20% in the adventitious roots of 14 accessions (cf. H. vulgare at 12%). Variation among the accessions in the volume of aerenchyma formed when grown in aerated or stagnant solution was not determined by the waterlogging regime of the species' natural habitat. However, the genus Hordeum comprises four genomes and when grown in stagnant solution accessions with the X genome formed, on average, 22% aerenchyma in adventitious roots (50 mm behind apex), whereas those with the H genome averaged 19%, and those with the Y or I genomes averaged 16 and 15%, respectively. Sixteen accessions formed a barrier to ROL in the basal region of adventitious roots when grown in stagnant solution. The formation of a barrier to radial O2 loss was predominant in accessions from wet habitats, and absent in accessions from non-wetland habitats. In addition, this trait was only present in accessions with the X or H genomes. The combination of aerenchyma and a barrier to ROL enhances the longitudinal diffusion of O2 within roots towards the apex. The possibility of a link between having a barrier to ROL and the X or H genomes in Hordeum species might, in future studies, enable a genetic analysis of this important trait.
