Pyroloids, forest sub-shrubs of the Ericaceae family, are an important model for their mixotrophic nutrition, which mixes carbon from photosynthesis and from their mycorrhizal fungi. They have medical uses but are...
Seed germination in the arid zone is a high-risk event. For grasses specifically, the ancillary bracts of the floret surrounding the seed have been associated with innate dormancy mechanisms, resulting in infrequent...
Regeneration by seed is a critical process in the life of plants, and germination traits determine the environments that a species can inhabit. Fernández-Pascual et al. study the germination of thirty species from the...
Parental plant growth environment could alter the state of seed dormancy, affecting the timing of emergence and seedling survival. In the context of climate warming, Bernareggi et al. investigate the effects of pre- and...
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are considered to be detrimental to seed viability. However, recent studies have demonstrated that ROS have key roles in seed germination particularly in the release of seed dormancy and...
Seed yield and dormancy status are key components of species fitness that are influenced by the maternal environment. Huang et al. grow the Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Burren (Bur), which is adapted to a cool, damp...
Climate may determine changes in seed dormancy in the short and the long term, shaping plant responses to global change. Fernández-Pascual et al. investigate germination in Centaurium somedanum, a narrow endemic...
In sea beet, Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima, seed dormancy largely controls germination timing, is highly heritable and varies geographically; climate might select for this trait. Wagmann et al. assess geographical...
Seeds from different populations of the same species often show distinct germination responses to the smoke-derived chemical karrikinolide (KAR1), thus limiting its potential for use in weed management. Gorecki et al...
Karrikinolide (KAR1) is a smoke-derived chemical that can trigger seeds to germinate, and shows promise as a tool for flushing out weed seeds from the soil seed bank. Long et al. demonstrate that weeds of Brassicaceae...