The integuments of seeds of Blepharis persica (Burm.) Kuntze bear multicellular hairs whose primary walls are composed of cellulose microfibrils in a uronic gel. These primary walls swell in water, and if the seeds are placed in an excess amount of water the swollen walls fill the spaces between the hairs, forming an oxygen barrier and preventing germination. The roles of higher oxygen tensions and of CaCl2 in affecting the integumentary barrier were examined.
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Witztum et al. (1969) studied this question.