B. Atanassova et al., The growth responses of seedlings and plantlets to stress conditions in three anthocyaninless tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) mutants, AGRONOMIE, 20(8), 2000, pp. 907-916
Genes ah, aw and bls speed up the germination in tomato. The present study
was undertaken to test whether these genes might also influence the subsequ
ent growth of seedlings and young plantlets under optimal and stress condit
ions. Two groups of experiments were carried out: (A) stress during the sta
ges "germination-cotyledons emergence" and "cotyledons emergence-third expa
nded leaf' and (B) stress during the earlier stages "seed imbibition-radicl
e protrusion" and "radicle protrusion-cotyledons emergence", re results hav
e shown that the earlier cotyledons emergence and more rapid plantlet devel
opment of the anthocyaninless mutants were due to their earlier germination
.. They depended on the genotype and on the treatment, and could not be att
ributed to their greater ability to recover after stress, to more intensive
growth under optimal and stress conditions.