EFFECT OF ANOXIA ON THE INDUCTION OF ALPHA-AMYLASE IN CEREAL SEEDS

The effect of anoxia on the induction of alpha-amylase in seeds of ric e (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), barley (Hordeum vul gare L.), oat (Avena sativa L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.) was studie d. The results showed that only rice is able to synthesize alpha-amyla se under anoxia, while other cereal seeds fail to produce the enzyme a nd do not germinate. The inhibitory effect of anoxia on alpha-amylase induction is concluded to be due to the inability of cereal seeds to r espond to gibberellic acid under conditions of total oxygen deprivatio n. Rice appears to be an exception to this rule among the cereal seeds tested. We found that alpha-amylase mRNA fails to accumulate in embry oless barley half-seeds treated with gibberellic acid, indicating that the action of anoxia may be at the transcriptional level.