Behavior of Jatropha curcas L. seeds under osmotic stress: germination and cell cycle activity

Jatropha curcas is an oil-rich Euphorbiaceae seed species renowned for its apparent tolerance to environmental stresses. It is considered a promising source of renewable feedstock for biodiesel production in the Brazilian semiarid region where crop establishment requires a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to proper seed and plant behavior under water restrictive conditions. This study describes physiological and cytological profiles of J. curcasseeds imbibed in water restriction conditions by means of osmotic stress or osmoconditioning. Seeds were characterized by size, weight, moisture content and dry mass, germinability, and cell cycle activation by means of tubulin and microtubule cytoskeleton accumulation. Osmoconditioning at -0.8 MPa did not induce priming effects as it did not improve the physiological quality of the seed lots. Western blotting and immunocytochemical analysis revealed an increasing accumulation of tubulin and microtubule cytoskeleton in seeds imbibed in water for 48h onwards, culminating in the onset of mitotic configurations after germination. Only cortical microtubules were observed during seed osmoconditioning, whereas mitotic microtubules only occurred after re-imbibition of osmoconditioned seeds in water and subsequent germination.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Brito,Cristiane Dantas de, Loureiro,Marta Bruno, Teles,Clarissa Abreu Santos, Schuck,Mariane Ruzza, Fernandez,Luzimar Gonzaga, Castro,Renato Delmondez de
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Editora da Universidade Estadual de Maringá - EDUEM 2015
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1807-86212015000300279
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