The transition between seed and seedling phases of development is coordinated by an interaction between the closely related ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE3 (ABI3), FUSCA3 (FUS3), and LEAFY COTYLEDON2 (LEC2; AFL) and VIVIPAROUS1/ABI3-LIKE (VAL) clades of the B3 transcription factor family that respectively activate and repress the seed maturation program. In the val1 val2 double mutant, derepression ...

The influence of pre-sowing treatments using hydropriming, osmopriming and halopriming in laboratory and/or nursery tests on seedling emergence, seedling weight and plant growth of endive and chicory was examined. Halopriming (KNO3) or growth regulators (gibberelic acid; GA3) improved the rate of germination of endive and chicory and reduced the mean germination time needed. 30 min pre-sowing t...

Stressful parental environments can influence offspring size and development either adaptively or maladaptively, yet little is known about species' differences in this complex aspect of phenotypic plasticity. We performed a reciprocal split-brood experiment to compare transgenerational plasticity in response to drought stress in two closely related annual plant species. We raised inbred replica...

Gibberellic acid (GA) promotes germination, stem/hypocotyl elongation, and leaf expansion during seedling development. Using activation-tagging mutagenesis, we identified a mutation, sob2-D (for suppressor of phytochromeB-4 [phyB-4]#2 dominant), which suppresses the long-hypocotyl phenotype of a phyB missense allele, phyB-4. This mutant phenotype is caused by the overexpression of an APETALA2 t...

BACKGROUND Herbivores have the power to shape plant evolutionary trajectories, influence the structure and function of vegetation, devastate entire crops, or halt the spread of invasive weeds, and as a consequence, research into plant-herbivore interactions is pivotal to our understanding of plant ecology and evolution. However, the causes and consequences of seedling herbivory have received re...

Karrikins are butenolide compounds released from burning vegetation that stimulate seed germination and enhance seedling photomorphogenesis. Strigolactones are structurally similar plant hormones that regulate shoot and root development, and promote the germination of parasitic weed seeds. In Arabidopsis, the F-box protein MAX2 is required for responses to karrikins and strigolactones, and the ...

Auxin flows in a polar manner to target tissues and exert its morphogenic effect. Preventing auxin movement, with polar auxin transport (PAT) inhibitors, or increasing auxin levels in tissues through exogenous application can provide a means for assessing the importance of appropriate tissue distribution and concentration of this hormone during development. The formulation of culture media for ...

Climate change is expected to force many species in arctic regions to migrate and track their climatic niche. This requires recruitment from seed, which currently shows very low rates in arctic regions, where long-lived and vegetatively reproducing plants dominate. Therefore, we pose the question whether recruitment (germination and seedling establishment) in arctic regions will significantly i...

Successful emergence from the soil is essential for plant establishment in natural and farmed systems. It has been assumed that the absence of light in the soil is the preeminent signal perceived during early seedling development, leading to a distinct morphogenic plan (skotomorphogenesis) [1], characterized by traits providing an adaptive advantage until emergence and photomorphogenesis. These...

Seed size is a plastic trait of the plants that directly affect seed germination and seedling recruitment. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between seed size, seed germinability and seedling performance of Copaifera langsdorffii by testing four hypotheses: 1) larger seeds have higher germination percentage; 2) smaller seeds require less time to germinate and for initial developm...