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Histopathology of Seed-Borne Infections - Applied Research Center ...

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Physiogenic or Nonpathogenic <strong>Seed</strong> Disorders 257<strong>of</strong> bean and pea showing abnormalities due to drought. The cotyledons showedtransverse cracks resembling mechanical damage (Neergaard, 1979). Affected seedsshowed poor emergence, and the seedlings were very weak. Dickson (1973)attributes this disorder to a combination <strong>of</strong> factors, e.g., the genotype, the rate <strong>of</strong>seed drying at maturation, and imbibition rate at germination. According to Dickson,transverse cracking in cotyledons is common in most Phaseolus bean cultivars andcan occur as much as 100% in some cultivars.Jain (1984) observed cracking <strong>of</strong> cotyledons in chickpea. The disorder wasobserved both in desi and kabuli types. Cultivars <strong>of</strong> desi chickpea had higherincidence <strong>of</strong> seeds with cracked cotyledons than those <strong>of</strong> kabuli. Cracks are transversebreaks extending partially or completely across the cotyledons and usuallyoccur in both the cotyledons and rarely in one <strong>of</strong> them only.9.2.2 HIGH HUMIDITY EFFECTSThe high air humidity in the field at the time when the crop is close to maturity orhigh humidity during storage adversely affect the viability <strong>of</strong> the seed and also causeseedling abnormalities (Neergaard, 1979). In Denmark, such environmental conditionscause gray discoloration in seeds <strong>of</strong> radish (Neergaard, 1945) and white mustard(Jørgensen, 1967). From a comparative anatomical study <strong>of</strong> normal and gray discoloredwhite mustard seeds, Jørgenson (1967) demonstrated that the direct cause<strong>of</strong> the discoloration is swelling <strong>of</strong> the subepidermal parenchyma <strong>of</strong> the seed coat.This swelling <strong>of</strong> subepidermal layers results in the distortion and breaks in theepidermis.9.3 CONCLUDING REMARKSThe deleterious effects <strong>of</strong> disorders, such as marsh spot, hollow heart, cracking <strong>of</strong>cotyledons, and physiological necrosis in cotyledons, are well known. They resultin delayed germination, poor root system, reduced size <strong>of</strong> seedlings, and poorseedling growth (Löhnis, 1936; Pethybridge, 1936; Perry and Howell, 1965; Perry,1967; Harrison and Perry, 1973; Gane and Biddle, 1973; Jain, 1984; Dempsey andHarrington, 1951; Bass, 1970; Smith, 1989). Effects <strong>of</strong> marsh spot causing deadplumule tips are more severe than those <strong>of</strong> hollow heart (Perry and Howell, 1965).The histology <strong>of</strong> marsh spot-affected cotyledons shows distinctive features <strong>of</strong> disturbedbiochemical or metabolic functioning. Loosening <strong>of</strong> the cell wall, dissociationand discontinuity <strong>of</strong> plasma membrane, degradation <strong>of</strong> cytoplasm, fretted proteinbodies, corroded starch grains, and secretion <strong>of</strong> oily pigmented material, whichaccumulate in enlarged intercellular air spaces, reveal pr<strong>of</strong>ound differences in structuresin normal cotyledons (Singh and Mathur, 1992). The degradation <strong>of</strong> the membranesystem and macromolecules might account for the poor performance <strong>of</strong>affected seed. What triggers the new biochemical activity in peas and how is itrelated to manganese deficiency needs to be understood.The histology <strong>of</strong> hollow-hearted cotyledons shows poor cell contents, particularlyreserve materials. These cells seem to lose more water during drying and onimbibition and take more time to recover, causing concavity. Don et al. (1984)

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