© 1987 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Dynamics of indole-3-acetic acid during germination of Picea abies seeds
Göran Sandberg and Arild Ernstsen
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, S-901 83 Umeå, Sweden / Received September 25, 1986
Summary
High performance liquid chromatography and combined gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were used to identify indole-3-acetic
acid (IAA) and indole-3-ethanol as endogenous constituents of germinating Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seeds. Indole-3-methanol was tentatively identified by multiple ion monitoring. The free IAA content of the
seeds rose from about 20 ng g–1 to about 60 ng g–1 (dry weight) during the first five days of germination and thereafter declined to around 20 ng g–1. Indole-3-acetic acid released by alkaline hydrolysis, which was initially present at
about 110 ng g–1, decreased to 5–10 ng g–1 during the first week of germination. The IAA content of seed lots differing in germination behavior was investigated. The
findings are discussed in relation to the metabolism of IAA in conifer seeds.
