Seeds are central to crop production, human nutrition, and food security. A key component of
the performance of crop seeds is the complex trait of seed vigour. Crop yield and resource …

Germination vigor is driven by the ability of the plant embryo, embedded within the seed, to
resume its metabolic activity in a coordinated and sequential manner. Studies using “-omics” …

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) due to lack of seed dormancy seriously threatens crop
production worldwide. As a complex quantitative trait, breeding of crop cultivars with suitable …

The ability of a seed to germinate and establish a plant at the right time of year is of vital
importance from an ecological and economical point of view. Due to the fragility of these …

Seed dormancy is an important component of plant fitness that causes a delay of
germination until the arrival of a favourable growth season. Dormancy is a complex trait that …

Many molecular mechanisms that regulate dormancy have been identified individually in
controlled laboratory studies. However, little is known about how the seed employs this …

Highlights•Dormancy induction is controlled by plant hormones and dormancy-specific
proteins.•Environmental conditions during seed maturation and storage influence …

Arabidopsis thaliana is native to Eurasia and is naturalized across the world. Its ability to be
easily propagated and its high phenotypic variability make it an ideal model system for …

Seed dormancy and germination are two closely linked physiological traits that have great
impacts on adaptation and survival of seed plants. Seed dormancy strengthen and …

The time of seed germination is a major decision point in the life of plants determining future
growth and development. This timing is controlled by seed dormancy, which prevents …