Seed triglyceride content and glyoxysomal activity variation in sorghum cultivars 1

Three sorghum Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench] cultivars (Funk G522DR, SC283, and SC574) were germinated for 4‐days in sand and the isocitric lyase activity of the embryos was assayed. Glyoxysomal activities (nmol/g fresh weight/min) were: Funk G522DR (593.6), SC574 (117.6), and SC283 (6.5). Seed triglyceride contents were 26.96, 14.88, and 10.80 (μ triglyceride fatty acid/g fresh weight) for Funk G522DR, SC574, and SC283, respectively, with approximately 90% of the triglyceride being in the embryos which constituted 15–21% of the total seed weight. SC574 and SC283 are acid soil tolerant cultivars. Association of high glyoxysomal activity and very low amylase activity in SC574 and the reverse relative activities in SC283 explains the differences in growth of these two cultivars during the seedling impact phase under acid soil conditions. High glyoxysomal and amylase activities in acid soil sensitive Funk G522DR indicates that the acid soil response in juvenile sorghum seedlings is a multi‐factorial influence.