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Aging Stresses on Physiological and Biochemical Activities of Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum L. var. Dixie) Seeds¹

To explore the mechanism of aging, seed lots of crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) which had been subjected to different aging stresses were analyzed for germinability, growth rate, membrane permeability, content of soluble metabolites, ribonucleic acids (RNA), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), soluble protein, acid phosphatase and cytochrome c oxidase activities, and ability to incorporate phenylalanine and uridine into protein and RNA. Aging in quiescent seeds appears to be related to a gradual inactivation of pre-existing enzymes and systems for protein and RNA synthesis, and a hydrolysis of structural components. Membrane-bound acid phosphatase was more resistant to aging stresses than the soluble acid phosphatase. High seed water content and high storage temperature did not reduce the quantity of preexisting RNA or DNA in seeds; qualitative changes in conserved RNA and DNA were not precluded, however.

Key Words: Canned seeds • Germinability • Soluble metabolites • Membrane permeability • Acid phosphatase • Cytochrome c oxidase • Protein synthesis • RNA synthesis

² Professor, Department of Agronomic Crop Science, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, Oregon 97331.

Received for publication June 3, 1971.