Seed Germination and Dormancy

Seeds are a vital component of the world’s diet. Cereal grains alone, which comprise -90% of all cultivated seeds, contribute up to half of the global per capita energy intake. Not surprisingly then, seed biology is one of the most extensively researched areas in plant physiology. Even in relation to the topics reviewed here, a casual perusal of the Agricola database reveals that well over 5000 publications on seed germination and 700 on seed dormancy have appeared in the last decade. Yet we still cannot answer two fundamental questions: how does the embryo emerge from the seed to complete germination, and how is embryo emergence blocked so that seeds can be maintained in the dormant state? Obviously, with such a large literature on the subject, this review is far from comprehensive. Nevertheless, it provides both an overview of the essential processes that are associated with germination and a description of the possible impediments thereto that may result in dormancy. With the seed, the independence of the next generation of plants begins. The seed, containing the embryo as the new plant in miniature, is structurally and physiologically equipped for its role as a dispersa1 unit and is well provided with food reserves to sustain the growing seedling until it establishes itself as a self-sufficient, autotrophic organism. Because the function of a seed is to establish a new plant, it may seem peculiar that dormancy, an intrinsic block to germination, exists. But it may not be advantageous for a seed to germinate freely, even in seemingly favorable conditions. For example, germination of annuals in the spring allows time for vegetative growth and the subsequent production of offspring, whereas germination in similar conditions in the fall could lead to the demise of the vegetative plant during the winter. Thus, dormancy is an adaptive trait that optimizes the distribution of germination over time in a population of seeds. Seed dormancy is generally an undesirable characteristic in agricultural crops, where rapid germination and growth are required. However, some degree of dormancy is advantageous, at least during seed development. This is particularly true for cereal crops because it prevents germination of grains while still on the ear of the parent plant (preharvest sprouting), a phenomenon that results in major losses to the