Dormancy breakate of Hordeum vulgare seeds: effects of hydrogen peroxide and scarification on glutathione level and glutathione reductase activity

Abstract

A short-term pretreatment of barley seed (Hordeum vulgare cv. Prisma) with hydrogen peroxide leads to dormancy breakage. This powerful oxidant provokes a large increase of glutathione level and of glutathione reductase activity in embryo and storage tissues. Seed scarification results in a similar activation of the glutathione system after 24 h of seed imbibition with distilled water. It is assumed that oxygen diffusion and endogenous hydrogen peroxide formation play a major role in the activation of the glutathione system which might be a key step in dormancy breakage of barley seeds