Temperature and water potential strongly influence seed dormancy status and germination of Bromus tectorum. As seeds of this plant can be killed by the ascomycete fungus Pyrenophora semeniperda, this study was conducted to learn how water potential and temperature influence mortality levels in this pathosystem. Separate experiments were conducted to determine: (1) if P. semeniperda can kill dor...

It is commonly recognized that light-sensitive seeds require a period of imbibition before full promotion of germination by a light stimulus can be attained. Yet little work describes the nature of these preliminary events. Of the several major limitations that may be involved, clearly the rehydration (or activation) of phytochrome and the system with which it interacts are the chief ones to co...

Seed priming is a physiological seed enhancement method. Hydroor osmotic priming can advance germination under adequate moisture conditions. During direct seeding on well-drained paddy and upland fields, rice seeds occasionally encounter low soil moisture conditions. Under these conditions, rice seeds need to undergo rapid germination and secure emergence through improved water absorption capac...

The relationship between seed mass variation and germinability in ten Abutilon theophrasti Medic. plants from a single agricultural population was examined under controlled environmental conditions. Seeds were collected in the autumn of 1995 and dry-stored in paper bags at 4°C until the start of trials in the spring of 1998. For each plant, between 549 and 1000 randomly selected seeds were sepa...

Seed dispersal of Guarea glabra and G. kunthiana (Meliaceae) in Monteverde, Costa Rica was studied to determine how seed predation and secondary dispersal affect the distribution of seeds available for recruitment. The arillate seeds are consumed mainly by birds that regurgitate or defecate the seeds intact. After dispersal, 45.6% of G. glabra and 26.6% of G. kunthiana seeds were buried 1– 3 cm...

Over three consecutive years in central Mississippi, sweetgum (Liquidambar styraci/lua L.) and sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) fruits had nearly reached fullsize by late June. Sweetgum seeds were physiologically mature by mid-August, but dry weight increased until late September. As sweetgum seeds matured, the crude fat level rose to 27 percent of seed dry weight. During maturation, concent...

There have been several outbreaks of food poisoning linked to the consumption of raw sprouts. The two most common pathogens associated with sprout consumption are Salmonella spp and verocyto-toxin producing Escherichia coli. During sprouting the warm, humid and nutrient rich conditions are ideal for bacterial growth. Pathogenic bacteria can infect seeds at very low numbers only to grow to dange...

The Ellis-Roberts seed viability equation is accepted as an accurate predictor of seed longevity over a range of storage temperatures and moisture contents (MC). One application of this model is to identify different combinations of seed MC and temperature that can result in similar seed storage lifetimes. The present study was conducted to determine whether the reduction in storage life of pri...

Introduction 86 Factors Affecting Longevity of Seeds 86 Seed Characteristics 86 Basic seed physiology 86 Seed morphology 88 Chemical composition 88 Seed maturity 89 Seed Handling Prior to Storage 89 Storage Environment 89 Moisture 89 Temperature 90 Atmosphere 91 Storage Facilities 92 Cold storage 92 Containers 92 Moisture Control 93 Storage Recommendation 93 Orthodox Seeds 93 Temperate-Recalcit...

• Pattern mining based saliency seeds selection method The pattern mining based method is capable of high-level understanding and recognizes discriminative and representative saliency patterns, thus output more accurate saliency seeds. • ERW based seeds propagation method The proposed External Random Walk (ERW) algorithm in one hand ensures the diffusion of seeds information to more distant are...