Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T11:07:37.696Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Operational and philosophical decisions in seed dormancy research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

Marc Alan Cohn
Marc Alan Cohn
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Pathology & Crop Physiology, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Many research questions focused upon seed dormancy and germination remain unanswered due to problems created by inappropriate assumptions concerning the design and implementation of experiments. Lack of attention to the genetic background and growing conditions required for seed production and subsequent storage may compromise an investigator's ability to pool data or assimilate data trends due to variability in seed performance from year to year. Seed aging events during the afterripening process can be mistaken for those involved in the transition from the dormant to nondormant state. After imbibition, inaccurate criteria for and scoring of the germination event may lead to confusion of seed vs. seedling physiology and biochemistry. In addition, a sufficient number and proper spacing of data points during timecourse experiments are required to properly stage a sequence of events. Studies comparing dormant vs. nondormant seeds must be supplemented with kinetic experiments examining the effect of a dormancy-breaking treatment upon the transition between the dormant and nondormant states. In comparisons of the relative efficacy of various dormancy-breaking chemical treatments, the physical properties of substances under evaluation (e.g. lipophilicity) should be considered. In addition, since many dormancy-breaking chemicals are toxic to vegetative growth, there is a danger of introducing pharmacological artifacts that confuse interpretation of the results obtained. These toxic properties also necessitate the use of viability tests during construction of dose-response curves to avoid confusing seed death with dormancy. Seed scientists must also avail themselves of the extensive literature on developmental arrest in other organisms, which may generate fresh ideas for experimentation.

Keywords

seed germinationdormancy-breaking chemicalsdevelopmental arrestseed agingafterripeningpharmacological artifactsseed viability
Type
Research Opinion
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , December 1996 , pp. 147 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bowler, C., Neuhaus, G., Yamagata, H. and Chua, N-H. (1994) Cyclic GMP and calcium mediate phytochrome phototransduction. Cell 77, 73–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohn, M. A. (1996). Chemical mechanisms of seed dormancy. pp 257–265 in Lang, G.A. (Ed.) Plant dormancy. Wallingford, CAB International.Google Scholar
Cohn, M.A. and Castle, L. (1984) Dormancy in red rice. IV. Response of unimbibed and imbibing seeds to nitrogen dioxide. Physiologia Plantarum 60, 552–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohn, M.A. and Hughes, J.A. (1981) Seed dormancy in red rice. I. Effect of temperature on dry-afterripening. Weed Science 29, 402–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohn, M.A., Jones, K.L., Chiles, L.A. and Church, D.F. (1989). Seed dormancy in red rice. VII. Structure-activity studies of germination stimulants. Plant Physiology 89, 879–882.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cutler, S., Ghassemian, M., Bonetta, D., Cooney, S. and McCourt, P. (1996) A protein farnesyl transferase involved in abscisic acid signal transduction in Arabidopsis. Science 273, 1239–1241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Derkx, M.P.M. and Karssen, C.M. (1993a) Changing sensitivity to light and nitrate but not to gibberellins regulates seasonal dormancy patterns in Sisymbrium officinale seeds. Plant, Cell and Environment 16, 469–479.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derkx, M.P.M. and Karssen, C.M. (1993b) Variability in light-, gibberellin- and nitrate requirement of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds due to harvest time and conditions of dry storage. Journal of Plant Physiology 141, 574–582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dyer, W.E. (1993) Dormancy-associated embryonic mRNAs and proteins in imbibing Avena fatua caryopses. Physiologia Plantarum 88, 201–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foley, M.E. (1994) Temperature and water status of seed affect afterripening in wild oat (Avenafatua). Weed Science 42, 200–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foley, M.E. (1996) Carbohydrate metabolism as a physiological regulator of seed dormancy. pp 245–256 in Lang, G.A. (Ed.) Plant dormancy. Wallingford, CAB International.Google Scholar
Footitt, S. (1993) Seed dormancy in red rice (Oryza sativa): changes in embryo pH and metabolism during the dormancy–breaking process. PhD Thesis, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, USA.Google Scholar
Footitt, S. and Cohn, M.A. (1992) Seed dormancy in red rice. VIII. Embryo acidification during dormancy–breaking and subsequent germination. Plant Physiology 100, 1196–1202.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Footitt, S. and Cohn, M.A. (1995) Seed dormancy in red rice (Oryza sativa). IX. Embryo fructose-2,6-bisphosphate during dormancy breaking and subsequent germination. Plant Physiology 107, 1365–1370.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hilhorst, H.W.M. and Karssen, C.M. (1992) Seed dormancy and germination: the role of abscisic acid and gibberellins and the importance of hormone mutants. Plant Growth Regulation 11, 225–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Loeb, J. (1913) Artificial parthenogenesis and fertilization. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Van Beckum, J.M.M., Libbenga, K.R. and Wang, M. (1993) Abscisic acid and gibberellic acid-regulated responses of embryos and aleurone layers isolated from dormant and nondormant barley grains. Physiologia Plantarum 89, 483–489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar