1Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Avenida João Naves de Ávila, 2121, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
2Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Avenida João Naves de Ávila, 2121, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
3Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Avenida João Naves de Ávila, 2121, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| Received 10 Apr 2020 |
Accepted 20 Oct 2020 |
Published 06 Dec 2020 |
We demonstrated that classical biophysical measurements of water dynamics on germinating diaspores (seeds and other dispersal units) can improve the understanding of the germination process in a simpler, safer, and newer way. This was done using diaspores of cultivated species as a biological model. To calculate the water dynamics measurements (weighted mass, initial diffusion coefficient, velocity, and acceleration), we used the mass of diaspores recorded over germination time. Weighted mass of germinating diaspores has a similar pattern, independent of the physiological quality, species, or genetic improvement degree. However, the initial diffusion coefficient (related to imbibition per se), velocity, and acceleration (related to the whole germination metabolism) are influenced by species characters, highlighting the degree of genetic improvement and physiological quality. Changes in the inflection of velocity curves demonstrated each phase of germination sensu stricto. There is no pattern related to the number of these phases, which could range between three and six. Regression models can demonstrate initial velocity and velocity increments for each phase, giving an idea of the management of germinative metabolism. Our finds demonstrated that germination is a polyphasic process with a species-specific pattern but still set by the degree of genetic improvement and (or) physiological quality of diaspores. Among the biophysical measurements, velocity has the greatest potential to define the germination metabolism.
