Effects of storage temperature on viability, germination and antioxidant metabolism in Ginkgo biloba L. seeds

The behaviour of the Ginkgo biloba L. seeds was studied during storage at 4 and 25 °C. When stored at 25 °C, all the seeds died in 6 months. Cold temperatures preserved seed tissue viability for 1 year but did not preserve their capability to germinate, since such capability decreased after 6 months. A significant increase in lipid peroxidation occurred in the seed both in the embryo and in the endosperm. During storage a progressive deterioration of the endosperm tissues was evident. The two major water soluble antioxidants, ascorbate (ASC) and glutathione (GSH), showed different behaviour in the two conditions of storage and in the two main structures of the seed, the embryo and the endosperm. The ASC content of embryos and endosperms remained quite unchanged in the first 9 months at 4 °C, then increased. At 25 °C a significant decrease in the ASC content in the embryos was evident, whereas it remained more stable in the endosperm. The GSH pool decreased at both storage temperatures in the embryos. As far as the ASC–GSH redox enzymes are concerned, their activities decreased with storage, but changes appeared to be time-dependent more than temperature-dependent, with the exception of the endosperm ascorbate free radical (AFR) reductase (EC 1.6.5.4), the activity of which rapidly decreased at 25 °C. Therefore overall the antioxidant enzymes were scarcely regulated and unable to counteract oxidative stress occurring during the long-term storage.