These Proceedings are a product of the International Workshop on Seeds held in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, at the College of William and Mary, during the week of August 6-11, 1989. Sixty-eight participants attended. The location provided a scenic and historical setting for the excellent work presented. Good facilities and amenities also contributed to the success of the meeting. The Proceedings present the substance of the main lectures given at this meeting. In addition, there were 29 brief paper presentations and 30 poster presentations which have been summarized in abstract form in a separate publication. This meeting represents the third such meeting of a diverse group of scientists interested in the behavior of seeds, both in an agricultural sense and as tools for the advancement of more particular s~bject matter. The first meeting was held in Jerusalem, Israel in 1980 and the second in Wageningen, The Netherlands in 1985. A fourth meeting is being planned. The Editor and Organizer wishes to thank not only the contributors to this volume for their efforts but also all the other participants whose combined efforts made this meeting a great success.

Proceedings of the symposium, covering dormancy and barriers to germination in rowan, loblolly pine, Pacific silver fir, Douglas- fir, Sitka spruce, western redcedar, yellow-cedar, sugar pine, and Scots pine. General topics cover a seed conditioning concept in Sweden, respiration, strategies for hardwood species, temperature effects, and artificial ripening.

Seed development and germination; Seed dormancy and germination; Seed vigor, stress and seed germination.

The germination of seeds is a magical event, in which a pinch of dust-like material may give rise to all the power and the beauty of the growing plant. The mechanisms of seed dormancy, of the breaking of seed dormancy and of germination itself continue to remain shrouded in mystery, despite the best efforts of plant scientists. Perhaps we are getting there, but very slowly. This book considers germination and dormancy from the point of view of plant physiology. Plant physiologists attempt to understand the relation ship between plant form and function and to explain, in physical and chemical terms, plant growth and development. The place of germination and dormancy in plant ecophysiology is taken into account with attempts to understand the seed in its 'environment, whether the environment be natural, semi-natural or wholly artificial. In due course plant scientists hope to develop a precise understanding of germination and dormancy in cellular and molecular terms, and therefore there is some biochemistry in this book. Biochemists who wish to learn something about seeds should find this book useful.

Seed dormancy and germination are critical processes for the development of plants. Seed dormancy allows seeds to overcome harsh periods of seedling establishment, and is also important for plant agriculture and crop yield. Several processes are involved in the induction of dormancy and in the shift from the dormant to the germinating state, and hormones and regulatory genetic networks are among the critical factors driving these complex processes. Germination can be prevented by different factors leading to seed dormancy, which is highly dependent on environmental cues. During and after germination, early seedling growth is sustained by catabolism of stored reserves (proteins, lipids, or starch) accumulated during seed maturation, supporting cell morphogenesis, chloroplast development, and root growth until photo-auxotrophic growth can be resumed.

The Germination of Seeds, Third Edition discusses topics concerning seed germination. The book is comprised of seven chapters that tackle subjects relating to the field of germination. Chapter 1 discusses the structure of seeds and seedlings, while Chapter 2 covers the chemical composition of seeds. Chapter 3 tackles the factors affecting germination, and Chapter 4 deals with dormancy, germination inhibition, and stimulation. Chapter 5 talks about the metabolism of germinating seeds, and Chapter 6 discusses the effect of germination inhibitors and stimulators on metabolism and their possible regulatory role. Chapter 7 covers the ecology of germination. The book will be of great interest to botanists, who are particularly concerned with plant physiology.

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.

What determines the number and size of the seeds produced by a plant? How often should it reproduce them? How often should a plant produce them? Why and how are seeds dispersed, and what are the implications for the diversity and composition of vegetation? These are just some of the questions tackled in this wide-ranging review of the role of seeds in the ecology of plants. The authors bring together information on the ecological aspects of seed biology, starting with a consideration of reproductive strategies in seed plants and progressing through the life cycle, covering seed maturation, dispersal, storage in the soil, dormancy, germination, seedling establishment, and regeneration in the field. The text encompasses a wide range of concepts of general relevance to plant ecology, reflecting the central role that the study of seed ecology has played in elucidating many fundamental aspects of plant community function.

This is the second edition of a multi-author book first published in 1992. It deals with all aspects of plant regeneration by seeds, including reproductive allocation, seed dispersal and predation, longevity, dormancy and germination. All chapters have been updated, and four new chapters added on seed size, seedling establishment, the role of gaps, and regeneration from seed after fire.