An anaerobic treatment released Pyrus malus L. cv Golden Delicious embryos from their primary dormancy. It also suppressed the inhibitory effect induced by exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) on after-ripened embryos. For the study of ABA metabolism, a two-step culture method was developed. Embryos in primary dormancy were cultivated aerobically in the presence of [ 14 C]ABA (first culture). Some were directly analyzed to evaluate metabolism of absorbed ABA. The remaining embryos were cultivated on moist cotton without ABA, either in aerobic or anaerobic conditions (second culture). The amounts of ABA and its metabolites were measured both in the embryos and the water-leachates. After the second culture, the embryos showed a spectacular decrease in ABA content, with no difference between anaerobic and aerobic cultures. The amount of ABA glucose ester increased slightly in aerobiosis but diminished markedly in anaerobiosis. Radioactivity of the butanol fraction, which corresponded to polar conjugates, decreased considerably in anaerobiosis, whereas it increased in aerobiosis. Analysis of the water-leachates indicated that, compared to aerobic conditions, anaerobiosis increased total leaching of radioactive materials (× 4.2) as well as leaching of ABA (× 1.4). In addition, anaerobiosis induced leaching of conjugates, such as ABA glucose ester and butanol-soluble metabolites. We concluded that the anaerobic treatment affects mainly membrane permeability.