Timely harvest is critical to achieve maximum seed viability and vigour in agricultural production. However, little information exists concerning how to reap the best quality seeds of Leymus chinensis, which is the dominant and most promising grass species in the Songnen Grassland of Northern China. The objective of this study was to investigate and evaluate possible quality indices of the seed...

Seed germination is sensitive to glucose (Glc), nitric oxide (NO) and polyamine (PA). To elucidate whether cross-talk among Glc, NO and PAs occurs in mediation of seed germination, effects of Glc, NO and spermine on seed germination of Lotus japonicus were studied. Glc retarded seed germination in a concentration-dependent manner. NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) alleviated Glc-induced inhib...

Seed oil, one of the major seed storage compounds in plants, is of great economic importance for human consumption, as an industrial raw material and as a source of biofuels. Thus, improving the seed oil yield in crops is an important objective. The GLABRA2 (GL2) gene in Arabidopsis thaliana encodes a transcription factor that is required for the proper differentiation of several epidermal cell...

Promoting the seed regeneration potential of secondary forests undergoing gap disturbances is an important approach for achieving forest restoration and sustainable management. Seedling recruitment from seed banks strongly determines the seed regeneration potential, but the process is poorly understood in the gaps of secondary forests. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the ef...

We examine the relative importance of processes that underlie plant population abundance and distribution. Two opposing views dominate the field. One posits that the ability to establish at a site is determined by the availability of suitable microsites (establishment limitation), while the second asserts that recruitment is limited by the availability of seeds (seed limitation). An underlying ...

To address the limited availability of radiation shielding data for brachytherapy as well as some disparity in existing data, Monte Carlo simulation was used to generate radiation transmission data for 60Co, 137CS, 198Au, 192Ir 169Yb, 170Tm, 131Cs, 125I, and 103pd photons through concrete, stainless steel, lead, as well as lead glass and baryte concrete. Results accounting for the oblique incid...

PURPOSE To investigate the dosimetric characteristics of the new GMS BT-125-1 125 I radioactive seed, including dose rate constant, radial dose functions, and anisotropy functions. METHODS Dosimetric parameters of GMS BT-125-1 125 I seed including dose rate constant, radial dose functions, and anisotropy functions were calculated using the Monte Carlo code of MCNP5, and measured with thermolu...

Ghana’s seed sector has undergone some significant changes in the past few years, including the establishment of a new seed law and regulations, the appointment of a National Seed Council, and the emergence of a more diversified commercial seed sector. This paper begins by reviewing the principal elements in Ghana’s commercial seed sector. It then examines three factors that will be critical to...

With the increasing aged population, prostate cancer has become one of the commonest malignant tumors in the United States. The incidence of prostate cancer is the highest among malignant tumors in males, and the mortality rate is the second highest following lung cancer. Even when prostate cancer is diagnosed to be in the early stage preoperatively, its excised lesions are often judged pathohi...

Seeds play a fundamental role in colonization of the environment by spermatophytes, and seeds harvested from crops are the main food source for human beings. Knowledge of seed biology is therefore important for both fundamental and applied issues. This review on seed biology illustrates the important progress made in the field of Arabidopsis seed research over the last decade. Access to 'omics'...