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The Role of Hormones during Seed Development and Germination

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Plant Hormones

Abstract

Seed production1 is an extraordinary adaptation to a terrestrial environment that permits plants to reproduce under dry conditions and broadly disperse their progeny, which can then survive in an arrested state until environmental conditions favor growth of the next generation. Although there are many anecdotal reports of extreme longevity (6), the current record for documented viability is over 1000 years for an Indian Lotus seed, collected from an ancient lake bed in China (51). To accomplish this remarkable feat, seeds contain an embryo and a supply of nutrient reserves, packaged as a dry desiccation-tolerant unit. The features that make seeds an effective means of reproduction (high nutrient content and extended viability during developmental arrest) also make them a convenient food supply, and led to the development of civilizations in cultures that made use of this dependable source of crops to supply themselves with food. Consequently, features such as nutrient content, yield, and germination control are of major agronomic importance and have been the focus of much research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA

    Ruth R. Finkelstein

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  1. Ruth R. Finkelstein
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Correspondence to Ruth R. Finkelstein .

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  1. Dept. Plant Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Peter J. Davies

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Finkelstein, R.R. (2010). The Role of Hormones during Seed Development and Germination. In: Davies, P.J. (eds) Plant Hormones. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2686-7_24

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