Seeds: Biology, Development and Ecology

Substantial progress has been made in seed science during the past few years, emphasizing its important role in advancing plant biotechnology, agriculture, plant resource management, and conservation. Providing comprehensive coverage of the latest seed science research including germination, dormancy, development, and desiccation tolerance, this book also details the most advanced methods and practices in seed biology, ecology and technology.

Table of Contents:
1: Desiccation Tolerance in the -omics Era: New Tools for an Old Enigma? 2: Recent Progress Towards the Understanding of Desiccation Tolerance 3: Gene-expression in Relation to Seed Development and Longevity 4: The Influence of Harvest Method on Seed Yield, Seed Size and Germination Capacity of Bulbine bulbosa (R. Br.) Haw. (Liliaceae) 5: Alterations in Gene Expression and DNA During Loss and Re-establishment of Desiccation Tolerance in Germinating and Germinated Medicago truncatula Seeds. 6: ASP53, a 53 kDa Cupin-containing Protein with a Dual Role: Storage Protein and Thermal Protectant 7: Possible Involvement of Programmed Cell Death Events During Accelerated Ageing of Glycine max Axes 8: Storage and Germination Response of Recalcitrant Seeds Subjected to Mild Dehydration 9: Immunocytochemical Localisation of β-1,3-Glucanase in Wet-stored Recalcitrant Seeds of Avicennia marina Infected by Fusarium moniliforme 10: Seed Development Transporting into the Post-genomic Era 11: Biogenesis of the Compound Seed Protein Storage Vacuole 12: Embryo Development and Time of Cutting in Cool Temperate Carrot Seed Crops 13: Seed Biotechnology: Translating Promise into Practice 14: Stress Inducible Gene Expression and its Impact on Seed and Plant Performance: a Microarray Approach 15: The Use of Proteome and Transcriptome Profiling in the Understanding of Seed Germination and Identification of Intrinsic Markers Determining Seed Quality, Germination Efficiency and Early Seedling Vigour 16: A ‘Seed-GUS-Expression’ Enhancer-Trap Library for Germination Research 17: Betaomics: a Combined Proteome and Transcriptome Profiling Approach to Characterize Seed Germination and Vigour in Sugarbeet Seeds 18: Cell Cycle Activity, Membrane Integrity and Germination of Matriconditioned Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) Seeds 19: Are Dormant Seeds Lazy and Germinating Seeds Not? 20: Emerging and Established Model Systems for Endosperm Weakening 21: Dormancy Classification and Potential Dormancy-Breaking Cues for Shrub Species from Fire-Prone South-Eastern Australia 22: QTLs, Epistasis, and Other Interactions Associated with Dormancy in Weedy Rice (Oryza sativa L.) 23: Differences in the Lolium rigidum Embryo Proteome of Seeds with a High (Light-insensitive) and Low (Light-sensitive) Level of Dormancy 24: Transcriptomic and Proteomic Profiling of FsPP2C1-overexpressing Arabidopsis Plants 25: Constitutive Expression of a Fagus ABA-Induced PP2C (FsPP2C2) in Arabidopsis Suggests Interactions Between ABA and GAs in Seed Dormancy 26: Nucleotide Triphosphate Synthesis and Energy Metabolism in Primary Dormant and Thermodormant Oat Seeds 27: Dormancy and Germination in Eucalyptus globulus Seeds 28: The Effect of Hydropriming on Germination Barriers in Triploid Watermelon Seeds 29: Molecular Mechanisms of Protein Degradation in Germinating Seeds 31: A Role for Reactive Oxygen Species in Endosperm Weakening 31: Characterization of a Dioxygenase Gene with a Potential Role in Steps Leading to Germination of the Root Parasite Orobanche aegyptiaca 32: Computer Imaging to Assess Seed Germination Performance 33: Development of a Sequential Digital Imaging System for Evaluating Seed Germination 34: Seed Quality and Germination 35: Effects of Bean Seed Production Conditions on Germination and Hypocotyl Elongation Responses to Temperature and Water Potential 36: A Model of Seed Dormancy in Wild Oats (Avena fatua) for Investigating Genotype ? Environment Interactions 37: Seed microRNA Research 38: Temporal Fulfilment of the Light Requirement for Seed Germination: An Example of its Use in Management of Rare Species 39: Assisted Natural Recovery Using a Forest Soil Propagule Bank in the Athabasca Oil Sands 40: The Effect of Light Intensity on Seed Production and Quality in a Number of Australian Wild Oat (Avena fatua L.) Lines 41: Seed Ecology of Apiaceae Weeds in Pyrethrum 42: Plant Dispersal Strategies, Seed Bank Distribution and Germination of Name Negev Type Desert Species 43: Seed Biology of Tropical Australian Plants

About the Author :
Professor Steve Adkins is Professor of Plant Physiology at The University of Queensland (UQ). He obtained a degree in Botany and Zoology from the University of London and a PhD in weed physiology from the University of Reading in England in 1981 and has served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon in Canada (1981-84) and at Murdoch University, Perth, Australia (1984-88). He joined UQ in 1988 and has spent the last 30 years studying various tropical and subtropical crops and pastures, their weeds and the native plant community. Steve has held several leadership roles at UQ since 2010, including Deputy Director and Acting Director in the UQ Centre for Plant Architectural Informatics. In these roles, he has led initiatives that have improved teaching quality and the student experience, instituted guidelines and funding schemes for supporting the career development of RHD students and ECRs, and established several new cross-cutting research networks in collaboration with key external partners. He has served as Treasurer and for two terms as the President of the Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society. His research focus is tropical plants especially coconut, and conservation using ex situ seed banking and tissue culture. He has been a principle investigator and scientific advisor on more than 50 scientific projects worth more than $12 million. He has published more than 180 peer reviewed papers in international journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and supervised more than 50 research higher degree and 40 honours students to completion.