Changes in nucleic acids, protein and ribonuclease activity during maturation of peanut seeds 1

Changes in weight, protein, RNA, DNA and ribonuclease activity during maturation of the peanut seed have been studied. The investigation period began with fruits harvested four weeks after the pegs turned at right angles in the soil and continued through the fourteenth week. Fresh weights of both cotyledons and embryonic axes increased rapidly during early maturation (8 weeks) and continued in the cotyledons through 12 weeks. The water content at maturity was still adequate for enzymatic processes at 45% and 39%, respectively, for embryonic axes and cotyledons. The levels of DNA and RNA also increased rapidly during early maturation of both cotyledons and embryonic axes. DNA content decreased during the remainder of maturation while RNA decreased from 8 to 11 weeks in the cotyledons and then increased during the after-ripening period to a value near its previous maximum at 8 weeks. RNA levels in the embryonic axes underwent a gradual increase throughout maturation. The large decrease in cotyledonary RNA during weeks 8 through 11 could be related to increased RNase activity during the period.