Bioluminescence of seeds of rye-grass and barley
Kiviniitty, K.; Pitkänen, U.
Acta Biologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 23(3): 247-252
1972
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-5288 PMID: 4661857 Document Number: 53413
For ryegrass and barley seeds, fluorescence emission spectra with peaks at the same wavelength were induced by ultraviolet light of 2 different wavelengths, provided the seeds were not peeled, an indication that the source was probably protein in the husk. At the temperature of liquid N2 the fluorescence intensity was reduced to a third. Identical thermoluminescence curves, with a single peak, were obtained by irradiating the seeds with X-rays at the temperature of liquid N2. The same curves were obtained whether the seeds were peeled, unpeeled, or ground, indicating that the source was within the seeds, probably in lipid components. The intensity of thermoluminescence increased with increase in the radiation dose.