Seed dormancy and the control of germination
Top Cited Papers
- 14 July 2006
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in New Phytologist
- Vol. 171 (3) , 501-523
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01787.x
Abstract
Summary: Seed dormancy is an innate seed property that defines the environmental conditions in which the seed is able to germinate. It is determined by genetics with a substantial environmental influence which is mediated, at least in part, by the plant hormones abscisic acid and gibberellins. Not only is the dormancy status influenced by the seed maturation environment, it is also continuously changing with time following shedding in a manner determined by the ambient environment. As dormancy is present throughout the higher plants in all major climatic regions, adaptation has resulted in divergent responses to the environment. Through this adaptation, germination is timed to avoid unfavourable weather for subsequent plant establishment and reproductive growth. In this review, we present an integrated view of the evolution, molecular genetics, physiology, biochemistry, ecology and modelling of seed dormancy mechanisms and their control of germination. We argue that adaptation has taken place on a theme rather than via fundamentally different paths and identify similarities underlying the extensive diversity in the dormancy response to the environment that controls germination. Contents Summary 501 I. Introduction 502 II. What is dormancy and how is it related to germination? 502 III. How is nondeep physiological dormancy regulated within the seed at the molecular level? 509 IV. How is nondeep physiological seed dormancy regulated by the environment? Ecophysiology and modelling 514 V. Conclusions and perspectives 518 Acknowledgements 519 References 519 Supplementary material 523Keywords
This publication has 133 references indexed in Scilit:
- Defining transient and persistent seed banks in species with pronounced seasonal dormancy and germination patternsSeed Science Research, 2005
- Active oxygen species and antioxidants in seed biologySeed Science Research, 2004
- The Role of Phylogenetics in Comparative GeneticsPlant Physiology, 2003
- An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IIBotanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003
- Class I β-1,3-Glucanase and Chitinase Are Expressed in the Micropylar Endosperm of Tomato Seeds Prior to Radicle EmergencePlant Physiology, 2001
- Environmental control of dormancy in weed seed banks in soilField Crops Research, 2000
- The specialized chalazal endosperm inArabidopsis thaliana andLepidium virginicum (Brassicaceae)Protoplasma, 2000
- The regulation of secondary dormancy. The membrane hypothesis revisiteSeed Science Research, 1998
- Genetic and molecular control of seed dormancyTrends in Plant Science, 1997
- A critical update on seed dormancy. I. Primary dormancySeed Science Research, 1995