Chlorophyll in tomato seeds: marker for seed performance?

Using Xe-PAM, laser induced fluorometry and high performance liquid chromatography we found that chlorophyll was present in young tomato (cv. Moneymaker) seeds and was degraded during maturation. Fluorescence microscopy and imaging showed that the majority of chlorophyll is located in the seed coat but low levels of chlorophyll were also detected in the embryo, mainly in the radicle tip. Seed chlorophyll fluorescence appeared to be a sensitive indicator of physiological maturity of tomato seeds. The chlorophyll in young tomato seeds is physiologically active and functional. Quantum yield, Rubisco activity and photosynthetic oxygen evolution were observable <u>in vitro</u> until 40 days after flowering. The role of hormones (abscisic acid and gibberellins) and phytochrome was discussed in relation to the occurrence of chlorophyll in tomato seeds. Seeds with low chlorophyll content during early growth may have low quality but the presence of chlorophyll during maturation is highly undesirable since it is associated with lower quality, particularly seed longevity