Effects of Water Deficit during Germination of Wheat Seeds

Germinating seeds of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) were tolerant to dehydration up to the 4th day following imbibition and from the 5th day the seedling survival decreased. Dehydration also inhibited the rate of seed dry mass depletion and seedling dry matter accumulation and increased the content of soluble sugars both in grain and seedlings. Glucose supplied either to dry seeds or to 4-d-old seedlings increased survival of dehydrated seedlings. In contrast, exogenously supplied non-readily metabolizable sorbose and mannose suppressed seedling survival.