The physiology of seed dormancy and germination in Avena fatua L.

[摘要] INTRODUCTION: The study of seed dormancy and germination has for centuries occupied the minds of agronomists, physiologists, brewers,bakers and, more recently, weed scientists. The agronomistrequires that the seed that he sows will germinate rapidlyand uniformly and produce a vigorous healthy seedling .. Thephysiologist is interested in the understanding of the basicprocesses involved at the molecular level, and the geneticistin the inheritance of the quiescent character of theseed. Brewers seek a seed that will retain its viabilityat least until the following crop is harvested but whichwill also, on imbibition, rapidly set in motion those processesthat will convert starch into sugar. The baker isconcerned with the baking quality of the seed and, as faras he is concerned~ the more dormant the seed the better,as this eliminates the problem of pre-harvest sproutingwhich is very detrimental to baking quality. The weedscientist seeks to encourage all weed seeds present in thesoil to germinate simultaneously so as to enable him todestroy the weed population with one application of herbicideor a single cultivation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University