About the Book
The formation, dispersal and germination of seeds are crucial stages in the life cycles of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants. The unique properties of seeds, particularly their tolerance to desiccation, their mobility, and their ability to schedule their germination to coincide with times when environmental conditions are favorable to their survival as seedlings, have no doubt contributed significantly to the success of seed-bearing plants. Humans are also dependent upon seeds, which constitute the majority of the world's staple foods (e.g., cereals and legumes). Seeds are an excellent system for studying fundamental developmental processes in plant biology, as they develop from a single fertilized zygote into an embryo and endosperm, in association with the surrounding maternal tissues. As genetic and molecular approaches have become increasingly powerful tools for biological research, seeds have become an attractive system in which to study a wide array of metabolic processes and regulatory systems.Seed Development, Dormancy and Germination provides a comprehensive overview of seed biology from the point of view of the developmental and regulatory processes that are involved in the transition from a developing seed through dormancy and into germination and seedling growth.
It examines the complexity of the environmental, physiological, molecular and genetic interactions that occur through the life cycle of seeds, along with the concepts and approaches used to analyze seed dormancy and germination behavior. It also identifies the current challenges and remaining questions for future research. The book is directed at plant developmental biologists, geneticists, plant breeders, seed biologists and graduate students.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Genetic Control of Seed Development and Seed Mass. Masa-aki Ohto1, Sandra L. Stone2 and John J. Harada2. 1Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and 2Section of Plant Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA . Chapter 2. Seed Coat Development and Dormancy. Isabelle Debeaujon, Loic Lepiniec, Lucille Pourcel and Jean-Marc Routaboul. Laboratoire de Biologie des Semences, Unite Mixte de Recherche 204 Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique/Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon, 78026 Versailles, France. Chapter 3. Definitions and Hypotheses of Seed Dormancy. Henk W.M. Hilhorst. Laboratory of Plant Physiology, Wageningen University, Arboretumlaan 4, 6703 BD, Wageningen, The Netherlands . Chapter 4. Modeling of Seed Dormancy. Phil S. Allen1, Roberto L. Benech-Arnold2, Diego Batlla2 and Kent J. Bradford3. 1Department of Plant & Animal Sciences, Brigham Young University, 275 WIDB, Provo, UT 84602-5253, USA; 2IFEVA-Catedra de Cerealicultura, Facultad de Agronomia, Universidad de Buenos Aires/CONICET,Av. San Martin 4453, 1417 Buenos Aires, Argentina; 3Seed Biotechnology Center, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8780, USA . Chapter 5. Genetic Aspects of Seed Dormancy. Leonie Bentsink1, Wim Soppe2 and Maarten Koornneef2,3. 1Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands; 2 Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linne-Weg 10, 50829 Cologne, Germany; and 3Laboratory of Genetics, Wageningen University, Arboretumlaan 4, 6703 BD Wageningen, The Netherlands. Chapter 6. Lipid Metabolism in Seed Dormancy. Steven Penfield, Helen Pinfield-Wells and Ian A. Graham. Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, Department of Biology, University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK. . Chapter 7. Nitric Oxide in in Seed Dormancy and Germination. Paul C. Bethke1, Igor G.L. Libourel2 and Russell L. Jones1. 1Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3102, USA and 2Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Chapter 8. A Merging of Paths: Abscisic Acid and Hormonal Cross-talk in the Control of Seed Dormancy Maintenance and Alleviation. J. Allan Feurtado and Allison R. Kermode. Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6. Chapter 9. Regulation of ABA and GA Levels during Seed Development and Germination in Arabidopsis. Shinjiro Yamaguchi, Yuji Kamiya and Eiji Nambara. Plant Science Center, RIKEN, Growth Physiology Group, Laboratory for Cellular Growth & Development, 1-7-22 Suehirocho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045 Japan. Chapter 10. De-repression of Seed Germination by GA Signaling. Camille M. Steber. U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and Department of Crop and Soil Science and Graduate Program in Molecular Plant Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6420, USA. Chapter 11. Mechanisms and Genes Involved in Germination Sensu Stricto. Hiroyuki Nonogaki1, Feng Chen2 and Kent J. Bradford3. 1Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; 2Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-4561, USA; 3Seed Biotechnology Center, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8780, USA. Chapter 12. Sugar and Abscisic Acid Regulation of Germination and Transition to Seedling Growth. Bas J.W. Dekkers and Sjef C.M. Smeekens. Department of Molecular Plant Physiology, University of Utrecht, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands.
About the Author :
Professor Kent Bradford, Director, Seed Biotechnology Center, University of California, Davis, USA. Dr Hiroyuki Nonogaki, Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA.
Review :
"Bradford and Nonogaki is an essential addition to the bookshelf ... All chapters are well written and cross-referencing among chapters is extensive." (Annals of Botany, November 2008) "The current challenges and remaining questions for future research are discussed as well. This book is a resource for seed biologists, plant breeders, geneticists, plant developers biologists, and graduate students." (Marissa N. Oppel in Journal of Botanical Research, Volume 1, Issue 1, 2007)
