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Environmental and Stress Physiology

Water Binding in Legume Seeds

Section of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, New York 14853

The physical status of water in seeds has a pivotal role in determining the physiological reactions that can take place in the dry state. Using water sorption isotherms from cotyledon and axis tissue of five leguminous seeds, the strength of water binding and the numbers of binding sites have been estimated using van't Hoff analyses and the D'Arcy/Watt equation. These parameters of water sorption are calculated for each of the three regions of water binding and for a range of temperatures. Water sorption characteristics are reflective of the chemical composition of the biological materials as well as the temperature at which hydration takes place. Changes in the sorption characteristics with temperature and hydration level may suggest hydration-induced structural changes in cellular components.

² Present address: USDA-ARS, National Seed Storage Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.

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