Seed Dormancy and Germination

Dear Colleagues,

Many higher plant species from several climatic zones have evolved important adaptive traits to control the timing of seed germination. Specifically, seed dormancy represents a complex control system, genetically programmed and regulated by both endogenous and environmental factors, delaying seed germination until a permissive growth season occurs.

Different dormancy pathways, dormancy levels, and germination strategies have been identified across different wild plant species. Moreover, differences in dormancy level and germination traits have been documented within a plant species, also by the production of heteromorphic seeds from the same individual.

Although germination studies at the species level are quite considerable, knowledge gaps on germination syndrome of many plant genera from several phytogeographic areas still exist. On the other hand, research at the plant community level appears to be even more limited, requiring the integration of influential seed regeneration traits into predictive community assembly models. It is therefore appropriate to extend research to a wider set of species, including rare and threatened ones, from different habitats with both unpredictable resources and thermal environment.

Time-to-event methods have proved to be very appropriate in analyzing dormancy and germination data. Thermal-, hydro-, and hydrothermal-time models, fitted as time-to-event models, allow the quantification of dormancy levels, explaining changes in germination percentage and velocity during dormancy release.

This Special Issue aims to stimulate discussion on seed dormancy and germination response in terms of key traits of adaptation to environmental conditions.

We welcome original research papers and reviews on biological, ecological, and conservation aspects of the main topic.

Dr. Antonia E. Cristaudo
Dr. Francesca Carruggio
Guest Editors

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