Hormonal and Epigenetic Regulation of Seed Dormancy and Germination: Emerging Insights

Dear Colleagues,

As Guest Editor of the upcoming Special Issue "Hormonal and Epigenetic Regulation of Seed Dormancy and Germination: Emerging Insights", to be published in Plants (MDPI; IF 4.1), I invite you or a member of your research group to contribute an original experimental research article or a literature review to this Special Issue.

This Special Issue aims to provide an in-depth synthesis of the current knowledge on the hormonal control of seed dormancy and germination, with an emphasis on recent molecular and genetic discoveries. It will examine the intricate hormonal crosstalk—particularly between abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GA)—that underlies the regulation of dormancy induction, maintenance, and release, as well as germination onset. The roles of additional phytohormones such as ethylene, auxins, and brassinosteroids in fine-tuning these processes will also be considered. Submissions are encouraged to highlight advances in the identification and functional characterization of key regulatory elements, including hormone-responsive transcription factors, signal transduction components, and epigenetic modifiers. The Special Issue will also underscore translational research, bridging findings from model species like Arabidopsis thaliana to economically relevant crops such as rice, wheat, and others. By integrating emerging insights from molecular biology, genomics, and plant physiology, this Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of seed dormancy and germination, and their relevance to crop performance, seed vigor, and environmental adaptation.

Warm regards.

Prof. Dr. Angel J. Matilla
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.