Genetics of Seed Germination and Growth

Dear colleagues,

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 early growth stages, their swiftness and robustness will shape the plant’s later developmental stages. In the last few years, a wealth of information has been obtained by studying germination from different angles. It is clear now that germination and early growth are intimately linked to previous events occurring in the mother plant and influenced by the environment. One way to store the information provided by the interaction between genotype and environment is to modify the chromatin landscape, which indeed has been proven to have an impact on specific genes and germination traits. The discovery of new players and deeper insights about known master regulators have also contributed to a better understanding of germination. New information coming from studies on hormone transport, signaling, and biophysical and mechanical tissue properties are shedding new light on the relevance of tissue specific regulation and their interplay.

The novel insights briefly summarized above represent some of the different approaches contributing to drawing a more detailed picture of the biology of the seed. Unsurprisingly, the new discoveries have raised more questions that will need to be answered in the near future. The aim of this Special Issue is to publish papers providing new findings or views about the genetics and biology of seed germination in model and crop species. Additional research on this important developmental stage in the plant life cycle will help to deepen our knowledge on important regulatory networks and discover new associations that will surely aid to improve crop yield.

Dr. Luis Oñate-Sánchez
Guest Editor

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