Hollow Heart. In: Compendium of Pea Diseases and Pests

Authors: Porter, Lyndon

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Press
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/17/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Hollow heart appears as a sunken region or cavity located in adaxial surfaces of seed cotyledons expressed shortly after germination. Often cracks are also observed in affected tissue. This condition is caused by a collapse of dead radical and plumule cells during rehydration following planting. Hollow heart is a physiological development within pea seeds correlated with high ambient temperatures during seed maturation and associated with seeds drying prior to full maturation. The predisposition of seed to develop hollow heart has been shown to increase with increasing temperatures during the drying of seed but temperature becomes less important as seed maturity advances. Incidence of hollow heart also increases depending on the speed at which the seed imbibes water. The more saturated soil is with water, the faster imbibition of water and higher likelihood of hollow heart development. Toxins released from dead cells are thought to affect germination and increase seed leachates, which increases seed susceptibility to damping-off caused by Pythium and Rhizoctonia solani spp. The principle cause of hollow heart is considered to be conditions effecting moisture stress during seed maturation such as, premature swathing of seed fields, termination of irrigation, or vine rot caused by Sclerotinia spp. It appears that cultivars with large, wrinkled seeds are more susceptible to hollow heart than those with small, wrinkled or round seeds.

Technical Abstract: Hollow heart appears as a sunken region or cavity located in adaxial surfaces of seed cotyledons expressed shortly after germination. Often cracks are also observed in affected tissue. This condition is caused by a collapse of dead radical and plumule cells during rehydration following planting. Hollow heart is a physiological development within pea seeds correlated with high ambient temperatures during seed maturation and associated with seeds drying prior to full maturation. The predisposition of seed to develop hollow heart has been shown to increase with increasing temperatures during the drying of seed but temperature becomes less important as seed maturity advances. Incidence of hollow heart also increases depending on the speed at which the seed imbibes water. The more saturated soil is with water, the faster imbibition of water and higher likelihood of hollow heart development. Toxins released from dead cells are thought to affect germination and increase seed leachates, which increases seed susceptibility to damping-off caused by Pythium and Rhizoctonia solani spp. The principle cause of hollow heart is considered to be conditions effecting moisture stress during seed maturation such as, premature swathing of seed fields, termination of irrigation, or vine rot caused by Sclerotinia spp. It appears that cultivars with large, wrinkled seeds are more susceptible to hollow heart than those with small, wrinkled or round seeds.