Table Of ContentSeeds
http://avaxhome.ws/blogs/ChrisRedfield
J. Derek Bewley (cid:129) Kent J. Bradford
Henk W.M. Hilhorst (cid:129) Hiro Nonogaki
Seeds
Physiology of Development, Germination
and Dormancy, 3rd Edition
J. Derek Bewley PhD, DSc Kent J. Bradford
Department of Molecular Seed Biotechnology Center
and Cellular Biology Department of Plant Sciences
University of Guelph University of California
Guelph, Ontario Davis, California
Canada USA
Henk W.M. Hilhorst Hiro Nonogaki
Laboratory of Plant Physiology Department of Horticulture
Wageningen Seed Laboratory Oregon State University
Wageningen University Corvallis, Oregon
Wageningen, The Netherlands USA
ISBN 978-1-4614-4692-7 ISBN 978-1-4614-4693-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-4693-4
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012945413
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2013
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While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of
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Printed on acid-free paper
Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
With thanks to our spouses Barbara Zadra,
Ingrid Hilhorst, and Mariko Nonogaki for
their invaluable support and patience during
the writing of this book.
To the memory of Christine Bewley.
Preface
In this third edition of the S eeds book, several changes have occurred compared to
the previous one of nearly two decades ago. First, of course, is that Michael Black
is no longer a coauthor, for he chose to apply his time and talents to other scienti fi c
and educational endeavors. We are grateful for his encouragement to undertake the
task of completing this edition and for the use of material that he wrote for the sec-
ond edition. We also express our appreciation to our new publishers for their sup-
port and their agreement to produce the book.
Plant research has moved forward with remarkable speed in many areas since the
publication of the last edition, especially with the development of new molecular-,
cellular-, and computer-based technologies. These have provided opportunities for
numerous advances to be made in our understanding of the physiology of develop-
ment and germination of seeds. In addition, burgeoning knowledge of dormancy
and of how seeds respond to their environment led to the expansion of these topics
in the book and to the addition of “Dormancy” to the title of this third edition. We
also consider events that occur in seeds during dispersal or storage as part of their
“development.” In covering all of these topics it was appropriate to restructure the
contents of the book to generate a logical fl ow of ideas and information, thus putting
them in perspective to the all-important “big picture” of seed biology, additionally
encompassing ecology and agriculture. Unsurprisingly, the vast area of seed biol-
ogy can only be introduced at this level of text, but we trust that the reader will
garner an understanding of how seeds function, and that more in-depth information
can be gained by pursuing the relevant references. Given the huge number of publi-
cations on seed biology, only a few pertinent articles are cited, and many of equal
importance and impact had to be omitted. Not all of the information herein is new,
for some studies conducted even as long as 50 or more years ago have withstood the
test of time and remain fundamental in our understanding of seeds. On the other
hand, many substantial sections of the book contain information that was completely
unknown at the time of the previous edition. We have attempted to balance the cov-
erage of basic information, which someone new to seed biology can appreciate,
vii
viii Preface
with more detailed examples illustrating the state of the art in 2012 that even experts
should fi nd useful.
We are grateful to the many authors who have given us permission to use their
published and unpublished research, and to several of our colleagues who have
helped us by generously spending time reading sections of the book and providing
information and clari fi cation on speci fi c topics.
J. Derek Bewley
Kent J. Bradford
Henk W.M. Hilhorst
Hiro Nonogaki
Contents
1 Structure and Composition ..................................................................... 1
1.1 Introduction ....................................................................................... 1
1.2 Seed Structure.................................................................................... 2
1.2.1 Embryo .................................................................................. 3
1.2.2 Non-embryonic Storage Tissues ........................................... 5
1.2.3 Testa (Seed Coat) .................................................................. 6
1.3 Seed Storage Reserves ....................................................................... 7
1.3.1 Carbohydrates ....................................................................... 9
1.3.2 Oils (Neutral Lipids) ............................................................. 14
1.3.3 Proteins .................................................................................. 16
1.3.4 Phytin .................................................................................... 22
1.3.5 Other Constituents ................................................................. 23
Useful Literature References ...................................................................... 24
2 Development and Maturation ................................................................. 27
2.1 Fertilization ....................................................................................... 27
2.2 Embryogeny and Storage Tissue Formation ..................................... 28
2.2.1 Embryonic Tissues ................................................................ 29
2.2.2 Endosperm............................................................................. 30
2.2.3 Testa (Seed Coat) .................................................................. 34
2.3 Regulation of Seed Development ...................................................... 36
2.3.1 Plant Hormones ..................................................................... 36
2.3.2 Embryo Polarity and Patterning ............................................ 38
2.3.3 ABA Content and Sensitivity to ABA
During Development ............................................................. 41
2.3.4 Regulation of the Seed Maturation Program ......................... 43
2.3.5 Epigenetic Control of Endosperm Development .................. 46
2.3.6 Testa Development and Its Interaction with the
Endosperm and Embryo ........................................................ 48
2.3.7 Somatic Embryogenesis and Apomixis ................................ 50
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