Author
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Foley, Michael |
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Submitted to: Encyclopedia of Seeds: Science, Technology and Uses
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 7/14/2003 Publication Date: 10/1/2006 Citation: Foley, M.E. 2006. Dormancy - genetics. Encyclopedia of Seeds: Science, Technology and Uses.(eds. M. Black, J.D. Bewley, and P. Halmer). CAB International, 528-531. Interpretive Summary: Interpretive Seed dormancy is a charactristic of weedy and non-domesticated plants that leads to their persistence and survival. This encyclopedia article details recent research on the genetics of dormancy and outlines efforts to mark the genes that control this trait in wild oat and Arabidopsis. Technical Abstract: Technical Seed dormancy is defined as the temporary failure of a viable seed to germinate, after a specific length of time, in a particular set of environmental conditions that later evoke germination when the restrictive state has been terminated by either natural or artifical conditions. Seed dormancy is a characteristic of weedy and non-domesticated plants that optimizes the distribution of germination over time enhancing the survival of plants in an ever-changing environment. Little is known about pathways, signals, and mechansims regulating seed dormancy genes. This encyclopedia article details recent reseach on the genetics of dormacy and outlines efforts to mark the genes that control this trait in wild oat and Arabidopsis. |
