Seed Dormancy and Germination for Plant Adaptation to Climate Change
A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1388
Special Issue Editors
Interests: plant physiology; conservation physiology; seed physiology; seed germination; seed dormancy
Interests: seed germination ecology; biogeography; evolution of seed dormancy and germination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
By the end of the 21st century, it is projected that temperatures will increase by as much as 5 °C and precipitation patterns will be changed, increasing the risk of flooding or drought. Temperature and soil moisture are critical drivers for seed dormancy break, and germination will undoubtedly be impacted by these environmental changes. However, seeds that require exposure to dry and/or wet conditions at high temperatures (≥15 °C) for dormancy break may not be affected by climate change. In contrast, for seeds that require moist cold conditions (≤10 °C) for dormancy break, warming might reduce the period during when conditions are favorable for dormancy break, leading to a reduction in the degree to which dormancy is broken. Additionally, if temperatures are favorable but the onset of the wet season is delayed, the timing of germination of nondormant seeds will be delayed. Thus, changes in soil moisture and temperature conditions can shift the timing of germination and seedling establishment. Understanding how seed dormancy and germination respond to climate change is critical, in the short term, for understanding and predicting the natural regeneration of plants from seeds and, in the long term, for understanding extinction, migration, and/or phenotypic adjustment or adaptation of species to the changed environment.
Dr. Guadalupe Galindez
Prof. Dr. Carol Baskin
Guest Editors
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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.
Keywords
- seed dormancy
- seed germination
- plant adaptation
- climate change
- environmental stress
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
