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Seed Dormancy and Germination
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Seed Dormancy and Germination

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Development and Morphogenesis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 22135

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Antonia E. Cristaudo

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Guest Editor
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95128 Catania, Italy
Interests: plant biodiversity; plant conservation; plant biology; plant ecology; plant taxonomy; germination ecology; seed dormancy
Dr. Francesca Carruggio

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Guest Editor
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, 95128 Catania, Italy
Interests: ex situ and in situ plant conservation; plant ecology; germination ecology; wild flora

Special Issue Information

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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Keywords

  • seed dormancy
  • seed germination
  • cold and warm stratification
  • dry storage (after ripening)
  • environmental stress
  • maternal environment
  • temperature
  • water availability
  • conservation biology

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

27 pages, 1967 KiB  
Article
Seed Dormancy and Seedling Ecophysiology Reveal the Ecological Amplitude of the Threatened Endemism Picris willkommii (Schultz Bip.) Nyman (Asteraceae)
by Manuel Fernández and Raúl Tapias
Plants 2022, 11(15), 1981; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11151981 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2366
Abstract
Plant communities can undergo drastic changes in their composition if the ecosystem is severely altered by human actions or climate change. These changes endanger any vulnerable species, mainly if it lives in a small area, as is the case of Picris willkommii (Schultz [...] Read more.
Plant communities can undergo drastic changes in their composition if the ecosystem is severely altered by human actions or climate change. These changes endanger any vulnerable species, mainly if it lives in a small area, as is the case of Picris willkommii (Schultz Bip.) Nyman. Therefore, it is essential to know how an ecosystem alteration could affect the seasonal pattern of the life cycle, seed production, germination time, as well as both plant emergence and development. During three consecutive years, the growth phenology and seed morpho-physiological traits of Picris willkommii were assessed, as well as the environmental factors that affect them (light, temperature, substrate). Under natural conditions, germination is in early autumn (15–25 °C air temperature), flowering is in spring, and seed maturation in late spring. The species produces two types of seeds differentiated in the degree of dormancy and other morpho–physiological traits, which contributes to the dispersal and spreading capacity; it prefers fine-textured limestone substrates with high N and P availability; it does not tolerate frosts below −5 °C; and it is able to acclimatize to changing environmental conditions, but there is a risk of being replaced by other more aggressive species. All of this is useful for species conservation programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Dormancy and Germination)
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14 pages, 1582 KiB  
Article
Germination of Seeds from Flowers along a Continuum of Long to Short Styles in the Cold Desert Perennial Herb Ixiolirion songaricum
by Juanjuan Lu, Haiyan Yi, Dunyan Tan, Carol C. Baskin and Jerry M. Baskin
Plants 2022, 11(11), 1452; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11111452 - 30 May 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2817
Abstract
We compared seed set, mass, and dormancy/germination of seeds from flowers at three points on the style-length continuum [long (LS), intermediate (IS), and short (SS) styles] in Ixiolirion songaricum. The effects of open and hand pollination (self and cross with pollen from [...] Read more.
We compared seed set, mass, and dormancy/germination of seeds from flowers at three points on the style-length continuum [long (LS), intermediate (IS), and short (SS) styles] in Ixiolirion songaricum. The effects of open and hand pollination (self and cross with pollen from upper and lower-level stamens) on seed set, mass, and dormancy/germination were assessed. Most freshly-matured seeds from LS, IS, and SS flowers were dormant, and dormancy was broken under laboratory and field conditions. After-ripened seeds from LS and IS flowers germinated to significantly higher percentages than those from SS flowers. In all pollination treatments, seed set and mass were significantly higher for LS and IS than for SS flowers. Seed set, mass, and germination for LS, IS, and SS flowers were significantly higher in open-pollinated and in cross-pollinated with pollen from upper and lower-level stamens than in self-pollination with pollen from upper- and lower-level stamens. These differences in offspring reproductive traits may be adaptive for I. songaricum in its rainfall-unpredictable environment. This is the first study to demonstrate the association between style length and germination in a species with continuous variation in style length. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Dormancy and Germination)
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13 pages, 10400 KiB  
Article
Seed Dormancy Class and Ecophysiological Features of Veronicastrum sibiricum (L.) Pennell (Scrophulariaceae) Native to the Korea Peninsula
by Gyeong Ho Jang, Jae Min Chung, Yong Ha Rhie and Seung Youn Lee
Plants 2022, 11(2), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11020160 - 7 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2719
Abstract
Veronicastrum sibiricum is a perennial species distributed in Korea, Japan, Manchuria, China, and Siberia. This study aimed to determine the requirements for germination and dormancy break of V. sibiricum seeds and to classify the kind of seed dormancy. Additionally, its class of dormancy [...] Read more.
Veronicastrum sibiricum is a perennial species distributed in Korea, Japan, Manchuria, China, and Siberia. This study aimed to determine the requirements for germination and dormancy break of V. sibiricum seeds and to classify the kind of seed dormancy. Additionally, its class of dormancy was compared with other Veronicastrum and Veronica species. V. sibiricum seeds were permeable to water and had a mature embryo during seed dispersal. In field conditions, germination was prevented by physiological dormancy, which was, however, relieved by March of the next year, allowing the start of germination when suitable environmental conditions occurred. In laboratory experiments, the seeds treated with 0, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks of cold stratification (4 °C) germinated to 0, 79, 75, 72, and 66%, respectively. After the GA3 treatment (2.887 mM), ≥90% of the seeds germinated during the four incubation weeks at 20/10 °C. Thus, 2.887 mM GA3 and at least two weeks at 4 °C were effective in breaking physiological dormancy and initiating germination. Therefore, the V. sibiricum seeds showed non-deep physiological dormancy (PD). Previous research, which determined seed dormancy classes, revealed that Veronica taxa have PD, morphological (MD), or morphophysiological seed dormancy (MPD). The differences in the seed dormancy classes in the Veronicastrum-Veronica clade suggested that seed dormancy traits had diverged. The results provide important data for the evolutionary ecological studies of seed dormancy and seed-based mass propagation of V. sibiricum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Dormancy and Germination)
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18 pages, 2539 KiB  
Article
Conditional Seed Dormancy Helps Silene hicesiae Brullo & Signor. Overcome Stressful Mediterranean Summer Conditions
by Francesca Carruggio, Andrea Onofri, Stefania Catara, Carmen Impelluso, Maria Castrogiovanni, Pietro Lo Cascio and Antonia Cristaudo
Plants 2021, 10(10), 2130; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10102130 - 7 Oct 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2864
Abstract
Investigations on seed biology and ecology are of major importance for the conservation of threatened plants, both providing baseline information and suggesting practical approaches. In our study, we focused on the germination behavior of Silene hicesiae Brullo & Signor., a narrow endemic species [...] Read more.
Investigations on seed biology and ecology are of major importance for the conservation of threatened plants, both providing baseline information and suggesting practical approaches. In our study, we focused on the germination behavior of Silene hicesiae Brullo & Signor., a narrow endemic species to Panarea and Alicudi (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy), as well as one of the 50 most threatened Mediterranean island plants. Specifically, the effects of temperature, light, seed age, seed source, and collection year were evaluated; in addition, threshold temperatures and thermal–time parameters were estimated. The thermal range for fresh seed germination resulted between 5 and 15 °C, reaching up to 20 and 25 °C at increasing seed age, with 30 °C being clearly beyond the ceiling temperature. This behavior indicates that fresh seeds exhibit the Type 1 non-deep physiological dormancy, and that germination is regulated by conditional dormancy. This dormancy syndrome emerged as a highly efficient adaptation strategy for this species and, together with thermo-inhibition, would allow seeds to counteract or take advantage of Mediterranean environmental conditions. The comparison between the wild Panarea population and the corresponding ex situ cultivated progeny has enabled the identification of the latter as a suitable seed source for sustainable in situ reinforcement actions, at least in the short-term; indeed, plant cultivation for a single generation did not produce significant modifications in the germination behavior of the offspring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Dormancy and Germination)
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13 pages, 2327 KiB  
Article
Non-Deep Simple Morphophysiological Dormancy and Germination Characteristics of Gentiana triflora var. japonica (Kusn.) H. Hara (Gentianaceae), a Rare Perennial Herb in Korea
by Hyeon-Min Kim, Jun-Hyeok Kim, Da-Hyun Lee, Young-Ho Jung, Chung-Youl Park, Mi-Hyun Lee, Kyeong-Min Kim, Jae-Hyeon Lee and Chae-Sun Na
Plants 2021, 10(10), 1979; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10101979 - 22 Sep 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2680
Abstract
This study investigated the kind of seed dormancy and seed germination of Gentiana triflora var. japonica (Kusn.) H. Hara for developing a seed propagation method. The seeds were collected in October 2020 from plants at Mt. Sobaeksan, Korea. In a water imbibition experiment, [...] Read more.
This study investigated the kind of seed dormancy and seed germination of Gentiana triflora var. japonica (Kusn.) H. Hara for developing a seed propagation method. The seeds were collected in October 2020 from plants at Mt. Sobaeksan, Korea. In a water imbibition experiment, seed weights increased by >101.9% of their initial masses over 12 h. Effects of incubation temperature (5, 15, 20, 25, 15/6, or 25/15 °C), cold stratification period (5 °C; 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks), and gibberellic acid (GA3; 0, 10, 100, or 1000 mg∙L−1) and potassium nitrate treatment (KNO3; 0, 1000, 2000, or 4000 mg∙L−1) on seed germination were investigated to characterize seed dormancy. These seeds exhibited underdeveloped embryos during seed dispersal. The seeds failed to reach the final germination of 15.0% after treatment at 5, 15, 20, 25, 15/6, or 25/15 °C. After cold stratification for 8 weeks, the germination increased dramatically by >90.0% compared to that at 0 weeks. After the GA3 treatment, the germination reached >80.0% within 5 days. The final germination was 90.0% in the 100 mg∙L−1 GA3 treatment group. However, the KNO3 treatment had no effect on seed germination. Therefore, the G. triflora var. japonica seeds exhibited non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Dormancy and Germination)
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10 pages, 1631 KiB  
Article
Improving Restoration Efficiency by Modeling Optimal Sowing Periods: A Case Study of Two Native Plants and Restoration of a Site
by Young-Ho Jung, JunHyeok Kim, Chung-Youl Park, Hee-Seung Park and YoSup Park
Plants 2021, 10(8), 1506; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10081506 - 22 Jul 2021
Viewed by 2254
Abstract
Efficient ecological restoration techniques are urgently required to minimize seed consumption and labor requirements. Here, we determined the optimal sowing period for two native species, Agastache rugosa (Korean mint) and Astilbe rubra (False goat’s beard), toward their use for ecological restoration of Mt. [...] Read more.
Efficient ecological restoration techniques are urgently required to minimize seed consumption and labor requirements. Here, we determined the optimal sowing period for two native species, Agastache rugosa (Korean mint) and Astilbe rubra (False goat’s beard), toward their use for ecological restoration of Mt. Gariwang, a site damaged by the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics’ activities. We investigated the effects of daily mean temperature (DMT) and daily temperature range (DTR) on seed germination percentage, which decreased for both species with decreasing DTR and was optimal at a DMT of 25 °C and 17.5 °C for A. rugosa and A. rubra, respectively. We developed a single multiple regression equation that evaluated the effects of DMT and DTR simultaneously and determined the temperature scores when the germination percentage reached 85%. We applied the developed multiple regression equation by analyzing the temperature data of the restoration site. In addition, precipitation data analysis was added to set the optimal sowing period. As a result, the optimal sowing period for the two species was determined from May 21 to the end of May. This makes it possible to minimize seed consumption and labor requirements when sowing seeds. The model developed herein will be useful not only to guide the ecological restoration of Mt. Gariwang, but also for other regions using site-specific temperature data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Dormancy and Germination)
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13 pages, 2358 KiB  
Article
Terrestrial Morphotypes of Aquatic Plants Display Improved Seed Germination to Deal with Dry or Low-Rainfall Periods
by Rocío Fernández-Zamudio, Pablo García-Murillo and Carmen Díaz-Paniagua
Plants 2021, 10(4), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10040741 - 10 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2558
Abstract
In temporary ponds, seed germination largely determines how well aquatic plant assemblages recover after dry periods. Some aquatic plants have terrestrial morphotypes that can produce seeds even in dry years. Here, we performed an experiment to compare germination patterns for seeds produced by [...] Read more.
In temporary ponds, seed germination largely determines how well aquatic plant assemblages recover after dry periods. Some aquatic plants have terrestrial morphotypes that can produce seeds even in dry years. Here, we performed an experiment to compare germination patterns for seeds produced by aquatic and terrestrial morphotypes of Ranunculus peltatus subsp. saniculifolius over the course of five inundation events. During the first inundation event, percent germination was higher for terrestrial morphotype seeds (36.1%) than for aquatic morphotype seeds (6.1%). Seed germination peaked for both groups during the second inundation event (terrestrial morphotype: 47%; aquatic morphotype: 34%). Even after all five events, some viable seeds had not yet germinated (terrestrial morphotype: 0.6%; aquatic morphotype: 5%). We also compared germination patterns for the two morphotypes in Callitriche brutia: the percent germination was higher for terrestrial morphotype seeds (79.5%) than for aquatic morphotype seeds (41.9%). Both aquatic plant species use two complementary strategies to ensure population persistence despite the unpredictable conditions of temporary ponds. First, plants can produce seeds with different dormancy periods that germinate during different inundation periods. Second, plants can produce terrestrial morphotypes, which generate more seeds during dry periods, allowing for re-establishment when conditions are once again favorable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Seed Dormancy and Germination)
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