Effects of GABA and Vigabatrin on the Germination of Chinese Chestnut Recalcitrant Seeds and Its Implications for Seed Dormancy and Storage
Changjian Du,
Wei Chen,
Yanyan Wu,
Guangpeng Wang,
Jiabing Zhao,
Jiacheng Sun,
Jing Ji,
Donghui Yan,
Zeping Jiang,
Shengqing Shi
Affiliations
Changjian Du
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Wei Chen
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Yanyan Wu
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Guangpeng Wang
Institute for Pomology, Hebei Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Changli 066600, China
Jiabing Zhao
College of Forestry, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China
Jiacheng Sun
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Jing Ji
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Donghui Yan
Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Zeping Jiang
Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Shengqing Shi
State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, 1958 Box, Beijing 100091, China
Recalcitrant chestnut seeds are rich in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which negatively regulates adventitious root development by altering carbon/nitrogen metabolism. However, little is known regarding the role of this metabolite in chestnut seeds. In this study, we investigated the effects of GABA changes on the germination of chestnut seeds treated with exogenous GABA and vigabatrin (VGB, which inhibits GABA degradation). Both treatments significantly inhibited seed germination and primary root growth and resulted in the considerable accumulation of H2O2, but the endogenous GABA content decreased before germination at 48 h. Soluble sugar levels increased before germination, but subsequently decreased, whereas starch contents were relatively unchanged. Changes to organic acids were observed at 120 h after sowing, including a decrease and increase in citrate and malate levels, respectively. Similarly, soluble protein contents increased at 120 h, but the abundance of most free amino acids decreased at 48 h. Moreover, the total amino acid levels increased only in response to VGB at 0 h. Accordingly, GABA and VGB altered the balance of carbon and nitrogen metabolism, thereby inhibiting chestnut seed germination. These results suggested that changes to GABA levels in chestnut seeds might prevent seed germination. The study data may also help clarify the dormancy and storage of chestnut seeds, as well as other recalcitrant seeds.
