Seed banking remains a cornerstone in the conservation of plant genetic resources. To be successful, it relies on the collecting and banking of high-quality seeds. In 1995 there was relatively little guidance available to seed collectors (especially of wild plant species), who had to make decisions in the field about what to collect and how to handle collected material. Since then, research int...

—Pocket gophers have the potential to alter the dynamics of grasslands by creating mounds that bury existing vegetation and locally reset succession. Gopher mounds may provide safe sites for less competitive species, potentially increasing both species diversity and vegetation heterogeneity (spatial variation in species composition). We compared species composition, diversity and heterogeneity ...

Use of improved seeds has a vital role in enhancing agricultural production. Agriculture extension has implemented farmers’ managed seed multiplication program at the community level to ensure efficient supply of improved seeds. Several success and failure cases of seed multiplication through farmers' organizations were experienced. Therefore, a case study was conducted in the western terai reg...

Immigration rates of species into communities are widely understood to influence community diversity, which in turn is widely expected to influence the susceptibility of ecosystems to species invasion. For a given community, however, immigration processes may impact diversity by means of two separable components: the number of species represented in seed inputs and the density of seed per speci...

The success or failure of many organisms to respond to the challenges of habitat destruction and a warming climate lies in the ability of plant species to disperse between isolated habitats or to migrate to new ranges. European semi-natural grasslands represent one of the world’s most species-rich habitats at small scales, but agricultural intensification during the 20th century has meant that ...

Seed length and seed width are an important factor to the soybean yield. So the quantitative trait loci (QTL) location for seed length and seed width could assistant the breeding of soybean. In this study, the QTL underlying seed length and seed width were studied. A recombinant inbred line population of soybeans derived from a cross between the American semi-draft cultivars Charleston and Dong...

The seed coat is involved in the determination of seed quality traits such as seed size, seed composition, seed permeability, and hormonal regulation. Understanding seed coat structure is therefore a prerequisite to deciphering the genetic mechanisms that govern seed coat functions. By combining histological and transcriptomic data analyses, cellular and molecular events occurring during Medica...

From a plant's perspective, the difference between a seed predator and a seed disperser should be straightforward: attract animals that will disperse seeds and defend seeds from potential predators. Unlike pulp-eating frugivores, seed predators regularly encounter diverse plant protective mechanisms. The purpose of this paper is to examine feeding constraints, morphological adaptations, and the...

1 We present results from a long-term sowing experiment conducted in nutrient-poor savanna grassland in eastern Minnesota. We examine the effects of a one-time seed addition of 23 grassland species on plant community dynamics and structure over eight growing seasons. 2 Our goals were to: (i) test the importance of seed availability in regulating plant colonization dynamics and species richness;...

Agents responsible for tosses of conifer seed and methods for seed protection are reviewed. Published information indicates that much seed is destroyed, especially by seedeating rodents and birds. Improvement of existing protective methods and development of new chemical means are necessary to overcome the problem.