Abstract

TALADRID, I.J.  and  ESPINOSA, M.B.. Seeds of radishes (Raphanus sativus L): observations of its morphology under electron microscopy, germination and usefulness for phytotoxicity studies. Polibotánica [online]. 2021, n.51, pp.171-183.  Epub May 06, 2021. ISSN 1405-2768.  https://doi.org/10.18387/polibotanica.51.11.

Raphanus sativus is an important plant in the seed industry worldwide especially in Asia. Currently, knowledge of its genome makes this organism a good model for scientific analyzes such as those that describe the accumulation of toxic substances such as heavy metals in plants. Raphanus sativus is a dicotyledonous plant that is cultivated throughout the world. The radish belongs to the same family of Arabidopsis thaliana: Brassicaceae. Many aspects of its biology are known and it is considered a species suitable for ecotoxicology studies. The objective of this work was to analyze the morphology and some characteristics of the germination of R. sativus seeds in order to establish a germination test. We describe the morphology observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and histology of the seeds. Furthermore, the observed germination of R. sativus seeds is also briefly described. The color of the seminal layer varies between light brown, the shape is ovoid and irregular and measures approximately three (3) mm in diameter. These seeds are appropriate to be used in the evaluation of the toxic effects of certain chemical compounds especially on the germination process. The speed of root growth showed great heterogeneity among the seeds of the same experimental group, therefore the length of the radicle is not a good parameter to be used as an indicator of possible toxic effects.

Keywords : radishes; germination test; ecotoxicology; histology; seeds shape.

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