To explain the differing germination behaviour of seeds of wild type, gibberellin-deficient (gib1) or abscisic acid-deficient (sit(w)) mutants of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Moneymaker), growth and water relations of fruit tissues, seeds and embryos were determined during development. The objective was to determine whether the hormones influenced water relations of fruit and seed tissues and as a consequence germinability. Despite the up to 70% lower fruit weight of the mutants, the fresh and dry seed weights were similar to that of the wild type. Water relations of pericarp and ...
