Global voices of science. Protector of the seeds: seminal reflections from southern Africa.

C RE D IT :D EN IS E BE RJ A K Despite their marked geographical and cultural diversity, the peoples of Africa are bound together by concerns about food security and the vagaries of rainfall across the continent’s extensive terrain, much of which is arid or semi-arid. This makes the scientific study of seeds and their storage an imperative. I became convinced of this scientific mandate even as a graduate student at the University of Natal in Durban in the late 1960s where, under the guidance of Trevor Villiers, I metamorphosed from an animal-oriented biochemist into a seed-focused cell biologist. To most people, a seed is a dry structure that can be maintained in a desiccated condition in a state of suspended animation until provided with water and other conditions that will promote germination. These traits define “orthodox” seed behavior. Maize (corn), which produces orthodox seeds, is the staple crop of much of Africa, yet it is ill-suited to the drought-prone conditions that prevail in many regions, where it is cultivated in preference to the native cereal, sorghum. Annual production of maize is important not only for food security, but also in providing seeds for planting in following seasons. Unfortunately, the crop is frequently jeopardized by droughts. The threat to the crop is exacerbated by seed storage under warm, high relative humidity conditions that can drain seeds of their vigor and viability, while encouraging fungal growth in the seeds. My doctoral work on maize seeds aimed to characterize the course of rapid deterioration that inevitably occurs under these poor seed-storage conditions. I concentrated on the root cap of the seed embryo. After germination, the integrity of this structure is essential to protect the tip of the root as it grows through the sharp, abrasive soil.