Structural, physiological and molecular aspects of heterogeneity in seeds: a review

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Matilla ◽  
Mercedes Gallardo ◽  
María Isabel Puga-Hermida
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Hormonal Control ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Shape Parameters ◽  
Action Mechanism ◽  
Seed Population ◽  
Molecular Aspects

Higher plants have several strategies to perpetuate themselves under adequate ecophysiological conditions. The production of heterogeneous seeds is one such strategy. That is, to ensure the survival of the next generation, an individual plant might produce seeds that are heterogeneous with respect to the extent of dormancy, dispersion and persistence within the seed bank. Heterogeneity can affect not only certain physiological and molecular properties related to seed germination, but also such characteristics as colour, size and shape, parameters commonly used to differentiate morphs within a heterogeneous seed population. In heterogeneous seeds, the above features determine seed behaviour and alter their mechanism of germination. In this work, emphasis is placed on the existence of seed mutants having major alterations in characteristics of the testa and hormonal response. These mutants constitute a valuable tool for elucidating the mechanism of dormancy, germination and perpetuation of seeds. Finally, ontogeny and heterogeneity are reviewed, providing the first data related to the possible hormonal control of heterogeneity in seeds. These results raise the hypothesis that one of the factors triggering differences in germination among heterogeneous seeds may be an alteration in the signalling and action mechanism of ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA).

scholarly journals A Raf-like kinase is required for smoke-induced seed dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (14) ◽  
pp. e2020636118
Author(s):  
Inhye Lee ◽  
Eunsun Kim ◽  
Soobin Choi ◽  
Dayoung Kim ◽  
Wangyu Hong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Dormancy ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Phenotypic Analysis ◽  
Genetic Components ◽  
Dependent Inhibition ◽  
Molecular Aspects

Plants sense and integrate diverse stimuli to determine the timing for germination. A smoke compound, 3,4,5-trimethylfuran-2(5H)-one (trimethylbutenolide, TMB), has been identified to inhibit the seed germination of higher plants. To understand the mode of action, we examined various physiological and molecular aspects of the TMB-dependent inhibition of seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. The results indicated that the effect of TMB is due to the enhanced physiological dormancy, which is modulated by other dormancy regulatory cues such as after-ripening, stratification, and ABA/GA signaling. In addition, gene expression profiling showed that TMB caused genome-wide transcriptional changes, altering the expression of a series of dormancy-related genes. Based on the TMB-responsive physiological contexts in Arabidopsis, we performed mutant screening to isolate genetic components that underpin the TMB-induced seed dormancy. As a result, the TMB-RESISTANT1 (TES1) gene in Arabidopsis, encoding a B2 group Raf-like kinase, was identified. Phenotypic analysis of the tes1 mutant implicated that TES1 has a critical role in the TMB-responsive gene expression and the inhibition of seed germination. Taken together, we propose that plants have been equipped with a TMB sensory pathway through which the TMB induces the seed dormancy in a TES1-dependent way.

Buried seed populations in the montane, subalpine, and alpine belts of Mont Jacques-Cartier, Quebec

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubert Morin ◽  
Serge Payette
Keyword(s):  
Seed Bank ◽  
Linear Correlation ◽  
Altitudinal Gradient ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Significant Linear Correlation ◽  
Seed Population ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Buried Seed ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Number Of Seeds

The analysis of the total buried seed population along an altitudinal gradient in the Mont Jacques-Cartier area, southern Quebec, reveals a close relationship between buried seed flora and aboveground vegetation. Eighty-one percent of the species present in the total buried seed population were present in the aboveground vegetation of the study sites. The total number of seeds in the buried seed population, the number of species in the total buried seed population, and the number of seeds and species in the seed bank did not show any significant linear correlation with altitude. A shift from a boreal to an arctic–alpine buried seed population with increasing altitude was observed, instead of a decrease in seed bank size.

Abscisic acid controls embryo growth potential and endosperm cap weakening during coffee (Coffea arabica cv. Rubi) seed germination

Planta ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 220 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A. Amaral da Silva ◽  
Peter E. Toorop ◽  
Adriaan C. van Aelst ◽  
Henk W. M. Hilhorst
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Seed Germination ◽  
Coffea Arabica ◽  
Growth Potential

scholarly journals Effects of hormonal priming on seed germination of pigeon pea under cadmium stress

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (3) ◽  
pp. 1847-1852 ◽  
Author(s):  
LARISSA C. SNEIDERIS ◽  
MARINA A. GAVASSI ◽  
MARCELO L. CAMPOS ◽  
VICTOR D'AMICO-DAMIÃO ◽  
ROGÉRIO F. CARVALHO
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Seed Germination ◽  
Efficient Method ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Cadmium Stress ◽  
Pigeon Pea ◽  
Metal Stress ◽  
Hormonal Priming

In this work we investigated whether priming with auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, abscisic acid and ethylene, alters the physiological responses of seeds of pigeon pea germinated under water and cadmium stress. Seeds treated with water or non-treated seeds were used as control. Although compared to non-treated seeds we found that the hormone treatments improve the germination of pigeon pea under cadmium stress, however, these treatments did not differ from water. However, we also observed a trend of tolerance to the effects of cadmium in the presence of ethylene, suggesting that the use of this hormone may be an efficient method to overcome seed germination under metal stress.

Effects of heat and smoke on germination of soil-stored seed in a south-eastern Australian sand heathland

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Wills ◽  
Jennifer Read
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Bank ◽  
Soil Seed Bank ◽  
Seedling Emergence ◽  
Type Systems ◽  
Treated Soil ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
Heat Treated ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
And Control

Various fire-related agents, including heat, smoke, ash and charred wood, have been shown to break dormancy and promote germination of soil-stored seed in a broad range of species in mediterranean-type systems. However, relatively little work has been conducted in south-eastern Australian heathlands. This study examined the effects of heat and smoked water on germination of the soil seed bank in a mature sand heathland within the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park, in south-eastern Australia. Heat was clearly the most successful treatment for promoting seed germination, followed by smoked water, then controls, with 55% of species present in the germinable soil seed bank requiring a heat or smoke stimulus to promote seed germination. Mean species richness of the germinable soil seed bank was found to be significantly higher in heat-treated soil than in smoke and control treatments. Seedling density of heat-treated soil was almost 10 times that of controls, while smoke-treated soil was almost five times that of controls. Seedling emergence was fastest in heat-treated soil, followed by smoke and control soils. Of the species found in the soil seed bank, 25% were absent from the extant vegetation, suggesting the existence of post-fire colonisers in the soil seed bank. The results have implications for the design of soil seed bank experiments and the use of fire as a tool in vegetation management.

scholarly journals Arabidopsis SIGMA FACTOR BINDING PROTEIN1 (SIB1) and SIB2 inhibit WRKY75 function in abscisic acid-mediated leaf senescence and seed germination

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Zhang ◽  
Liping Zhang ◽  
Yunrui Ji ◽  
Yifen Jing ◽  
Lanxin Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Abscisic Acid ◽  
Seed Germination ◽  
Leaf Senescence ◽  
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation ◽  
Sigma Factor ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Negative Regulators ◽  
Factor Binding ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Increased Sensitivity

Abstract The plant-specific VQ gene family participates in diverse physiological processes but little information is available on their role in leaf senescence. Here, we show that the VQ motif-containing proteins, Arabidopsis SIGMA FACTOR BINDING PROTEIN1 (SIB1) and SIB2 are negative regulators of abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated leaf senescence. Loss of SIB1 and SIB2 function resulted in increased sensitivity of ABA-induced leaf senescence. In contrast, overexpression of SIB1 significantly delayed this process. Moreover, biochemical studies revealed that SIBs interact with WRKY75 transcription factor. Loss of WRKY75 function decreased sensitivity to ABA-induced leaf senescence, while overexpression of WRKY75 significantly accelerated this process. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that WRKY75 directly binds to the promoters of GOLDEN 2-LIKE1(GLK1) and GLK2, to repress their expression. SIBs repress the transcriptional function of WRKY75 and negatively regulate ABA-induced leaf senescence in a WRKY75-dependent manner. In contrast, WRKY75 positively modulates ABA-mediated leaf senescence in a GLK-dependent manner. In addition, SIBs inhibit WRKY75 function in ABA-mediated seed germination. These results demonstrate that SIBs can form a complex with WRKY75 to regulate ABA-mediated leaf senescence and seed germination.

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