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Environmental and Stress Physiology

Glass Transitions in Soybean Seed ¹

Relevance to Anhydrous Biology

Section of Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, New York 14853

We have investigated the mechanism by which anhydrobiotic organisms can survive severe dehydration. The method used was measurement of the rotational diffusion coefficient of a hydrophilic spin probe, inserted in the cytoplasm of soybean (Glycine max L.) axes, as a function of temperature and sample water content. Results indicate the existence of a hydration-dependent glass-like transition at physiological temperatures. No glass transitions have been observed in desiccation-intolerant samples, suggesting that the ability to withstand dehydration is associated with glass formation.

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