This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Web of Science (22) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fader, G. M. Articles by Koller, H. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fader, G. M. Articles by Koller, H. R. Agricola Articles by Fader, G. M. Articles by Koller, H. R.

Articles

Seed Growth Rate and Carbohydrate Pool Sizes of the Soybean Fruit ¹

Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907

The relationships between various carbohydrate pools of the soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) fruit and growth rate of seeds were evaluated. Plants during midpod-fill were subjected to various CO₂ concentrations or light intensities for 7 days to generate different rates of seed growth. Dry matter accumulation rates of seeds and pod wall, along with glucose, sucrose, and starch concentrations in the pod wall, seed coat, and embryo were measured in three-seeded fruits located from nodes six through ten. Seed growth rates ranged from 4 to 37 milligrams·day^–1·fruit^–1. When seed growth rates were greater than 12 milligrams·day^–1·fruit^–1, sucrose concentration remained relatively constant in the pod wall (1.5 milligrams·100 milligrams dry weight^–1), seed coat (8.5 milligrams·100 milligrams dry weight^–1), and embryo (5.0 milligrams·100 milligrams dry weight^–1). However, sucrose concentrations decreased in all three parts of the fruit as growth rate of the seeds fell below 12 milligrams·day^–1·fruit^–1. This relationship suggests that at high seed growth rates, flux of sucrose through the sucrose pools of the fruit was more important than pool size for growth. Starch concentration in the pod wall remained relatively constant (2 milligrams·100 milligrams dry weight^–1) at higher rates of seed growth but decreased as seed growth rates fell below 12 milligrams·day^–1·fruit^–1. This suggests that pod wall starch may buffer seed growth under conditions of limiting assimilate availability. There was no indication that carbohydrate pools of the fruit were a limitation to transport or growth processes of the soybean fruit.

¹ Contribution from the Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Journal Paper 9650. Research supported in part by American Soybean Association Research Foundation Grant 81552.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. T. van Dongen, G. W. Roeb, M. Dautzenberg, A. Froehlich, H. Vigeolas, P. E. H. Minchin, and P. Geigenberger Phloem Import and Storage Metabolism Are Highly Coordinated by the Low Oxygen Concentrations within Developing Wheat Seeds Plant Physiology, July 1, 2004; 135(3): 1809 - 1821. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Patrick and C. E. Offler Compartmentation of transport and transfer events in developing seeds J. Exp. Bot., April 1, 2001; 52(356): 551 - 564. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D.B. Egli Variation in Leaf Starch and Sink Limitations during Seed Filling in Soybean Crop Sci., September 1, 1999; 39(5): 1361 - 1368. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				C. Zinselmeier, B.-R. Jeong, and J. S. Boyer Starch and the Control of Kernel Number in Maize at Low Water Potentials Plant Physiology, September 1, 1999; 121(1): 25 - 36. [Abstract] [Full Text]