EFFECT OF CA ON COMPOSITION OF FAT-BODY OF PEANUT SEED

Peanut fruits were grown in nutrient media with or without Ca and in a soil with two Ca levels, from the 20th day after penetration of the gynophore. Seed weight was smaller in the nutrient medium without Ca than in the nutrient medium with Ca, and it was also smaller in the soil with 4 meq of exchangeable Ca (L treatment) than in the soil with 10 meq of exchangeable Ca (H treatment). The fat body of seeds from the Ca deficient medium and the L treatment had a decreased phospholipid content and an increased simple lipid content. In the seed from the H treatment, phosphatidylcholine increased from the 30th to 60th day, while caldiolipin decreased. The amount of triglyceride in the simple lipid content of fat body was decreased by Ca deficiency in the nutrient medium, whereas that of diglyceride was increased, but these effects were not observed in the fat body of the seed from the L treatment. No effect of Ca deficiency was observed in the fatty acid composition of triglyceride. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.