Chemistry of After-Ripening, Germination, and Seedling Development of Juniper Seeds

A review of these results, together with the changes reported in the previous paper (17), give an idea of the many changes accompanying the after-ripening of dormant organs. These changes are represented by the accumulation of cell building materials: acids, phosphatides, active reducing substances, soluble sugars, pentoses, amino acids, soluble proteins, and other nitrogenous compounds; the accumulation of enzymes; the dispersion of materials; and the transformation of storage materials. This rapid accumulation of simple plastic cell materials coupled with minimum respiration and combustion of materials probably forces the dormant organs to activity. One thus sees the awakened active organ as a very unstable structure made up of many unstable compounds. If these changes are not the basis of the after-ripening process, they are found to accompany the after-ripening process.