The production and function of mucilage by sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) seeds

摘要

Sweet basil ( Ocimum basilicum L.) seeds produce mucilage after hydration. The production of hydrophilic mucilage by the seed coat or pericarp during hydration is a common adaptation in angiosperms, known as myxodiaspory. The mucilage is composed primarily of pectins and hemicelluloses that undergo substantive swelling upon hydration. Mucilage production by seed dispersal units (seed coat or pericarp) has been proposed to play a number of roles, including facilitation of seed hydration, regulation ofgermination by affecting oxygen entry into seeds, and mediation of seed dispersal through adhesion to soil or animal vectors. The sweet basil seed mucilage is mainly polysaccharides, resembles Arabidopsis mucilage, but contains arabinoxylan and glucomannan, and a minor fraction of glucan (Western 2012).