Handbook of Seed Physiology: Applications to Agriculture

501 Pages·2004·8.04 MB·English

by  Roberto Benech-Arnold

Roberto L. Benech-Arnold
Rodolfo A. Sánchez
Editors
Handbook
of Seed Physiology
Applications to Agriculture
Pre-publication
REVIEWS,
COMMENTARIES,
EVALUATIONS . . .
“Thisisaveryinterestingandtimely Severalofthesetopicshavenotbeen
book on seed physiology as it comprehensively reviewed in recent
appliestoagriculture.Therangeoftop- times, making this an important and
ics is broad, but they fit neatly under valuableadditiontotheseedliterature.
There is much to be learned from the
several general headings: (1) the rela-
chapters,asmightbeanticipatedgiven
tionship between seeds and the soil
thequalityandexpertiseoftheauthors.
in which they are planted, and strate-
Thereviewsrelatedtoseedbehaviorare
gies to improve seed performance in particularly interesting since this area
the field; (2) behavior of seeds in the hasrarelybeencoveredinotherbooks
field,emphasizingproblemsassociated onseeds.Eachchaptercontainsavery
withdormancy,andlackofdormancy; complete set of references, which is a
(3)problemsassociatedwithseedsthat usefulguidetofurtherreading.Manyof
can and cannot be stored in the dry thechapterswillbeextensivelyquoted
foryearstocome.”
state;and(4)theusesofcommercially
important seeds in an industrial con-
J. Derek Bewley, PhD
textandthefactorsthatinfluencetheir
Professor of Botany,
quality. University of Guelph, Canada
More pre-publication
REVIEWS, COMMENTARIES, EVALUATIONS . . .
“Seeds are the beginning and the “Asthetitleindicates,Handbookof
end of most agricultural prac- SeedPhysiology:ApplicationstoAg-
tices. The ways in which seeds func- riculture updates several areas of seed
tion—their physiology, biochemistry, biology and physiology related to the
molecular biology, and genetics—are agriculturalandindustrialuseofseeds.
critically important for agricultural
Thebookisdividedintofoursections
success. But it is not only their use to
thatcovergerminationandcropestab-
humankind that makes seeds impor-
lishment,theeffectsofseeddormancy
tant objects for study; their biological
properties, as agents for transmitting in crop production and quality, seed
thelegacyofonegenerationtothenext, longevity and conservation, and fac-
havelongstimulatedtheintellectand tors associated with seed quality and
investigative zeal of scientists. industrial uses of seeds.
Theeditorshavejudiciouslychosen Thisbook coversasignificantpor-
areasthatreflectallofseedbiologyand tion of current research related to the
havecompiledanexpert,authoritative quality of seeds for both propagation
team of seed scientists to write about andutilization.Thereisagoodmixof
them.Thistextbringstogetheranexcit- physiological,genetic,biochemical,and
ingcollectionofarticlescoveringvirtu- modelingapproachesthatareapplied
allyallofseedphysiologyimportantto to seed development, dormancy, ger-
agriculture,fromseedgermination,seed mination, and composition. The inte-
performance,andseedlingestablishment gration of various levels of organiza-
to dormancy, weedseeds, storage and tion to understand how seeds behave
longevity, and quality of cereals and in agricultural situations is an overall
oilseeds.Theinformationisuptodate, theme of the book. The coverage in
complete,andcomprehensive.Thebook thesechaptersoffersenoughdetailfor
shouldattractandsatisfyagricultural- thebooktobeusedingraduatecourses
ists, seed scientists, and workers and inthesetopics,andalsoallowsexperts
students in related areas of biology. I toupdatetheirknowledgeofthecur-
warmlyrecommendthisabsorbingcom- rent status of related fields.”
pendiumfor your study.”
Kent J. Bradford, PhD
Michael Black, PhD Professor, Department of Vegetable Crops,
Emeritus Professor, Director, Seed Biotechnology Center,
King’s College, University of London, UK University of California, Davis
More pre-publication
REVIEWS, COMMENTARIES, EVALUATIONS . . .
“Thistextiscomprisedofthirteen
chapters on such topics as soil
physics and tillage, seedbed prepara-
tion, grain quality for (human) food
and(animal)feed,cropemergenceand
establishment,seedimprovement,dor-
mancy,andstorage.Thistextisavalu-
ableandworthwhilecontributiontothe
literature on seed physiology. Indeed,
theHandbookofSeedPhysiology:Applica-
tionstoAgriculturedeliversone’sexpec-
tations from the title.
Thebook’svalueisinthebreadthof
topics, authored by respectiveexperts
intheirfields,directedtowardtheagri-
culturalapplicationsofthisknowledge,
and brought together in one volume.
This book is an excellent route into
what one might term seed agronomy
forappliedphysiologists.Itwillbepar-
ticularlyvaluableformaster’scourses
and other postgraduate teaching.”
Richard Ellis, BSc, PhD
Professor of Crop Physiology,
Head of the School of Agriculture,
Policy and Development,
The University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Handbook
of Seed Physiology
Applications to Agriculture
FOOD PRODUCTS PRESS
Seed Biology, Production, and Technology
Amarjit S. Basra, PhD
Senior Editor
Heterosis and Hybrid Seed Production in Agronomic Crops
edited by Amarjit S. Basra
Seed Storage of Horticultural Cropsby S. D. Doijode
Handbook of Seed Physiology: Applications to Agriculture
edited by Roberto L. Benech-Arnold and Rodolfo A. Sánchez
New, Recent, and Forthcoming Titles of Related Interest:
Wheat: Ecology and Physiology of Yield Determination
edited by Emilio H. Satorre and Gustavo A. Slafer
Hybrid Seed Production in Vegetables: Rationale and Methods
in Selected Cropsedited by Amarjit S. Basra
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Plant Breeding and Related Subjects
by Rolf H. J. Schlegel
Handbook of Processes and Modeling in the Soil-Plant System
edited by D. K. Benbi and R. Nieder
Biodiversity and Pest Management in Agroecosystems, Second
Editionby Miguel A. Altieri and Clara I. Nichols
Molecular Genetics and Breeding of Forest Trees
edited by Sandeep Kumar and Matthias Fladung
Concise Encyclopedia of Plant Pathologyby P. Vidhyasekaran
Agrometeorology: Principles and Applications of Climate Studies
in Agricultureby Harpal S. Mavi and Graeme J. Tupper
Abiotic Stresses: Plant Resistance Through Breeding
and Molecular Approachesedited by Muhammad Ashraf
and Philip John Charles Harris
Handbook
of Seed Physiology
Applications to Agriculture
Roberto L. Benech-Arnold
Rodolfo A. Sánchez
Editors
Food Products Press®
The Haworth Reference Press
Imprints of The Haworth Press, Inc.
New York • London • Oxford
Published by
Food Products Press® and The Haworth Reference Press, imprints of The Haworth Press, Inc.,
10AliceStreet,Binghamton,NY13904-1580.
©2004byTheHaworthPress,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproducedor
utilizedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,microfilm,
andrecording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwriting
from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
Cover design by Marylouise E. Doyle.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Handbookofseedphysiology:applicationstoagriculture/RobertoL.Benech-Arnold,RodolfoA.
Sánchez, editors.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56022-928-4 (Case : alk. paper)—ISBN 1-56022-929-2 (Soft : alk. paper)
1. Seeds—Physiology. 2. Seed technology. I. Benech-Arnold, Roberto L. II. Sánchez,
RodolfoA.
SB117.H27 2004
631.5'21—dc22
2003021276
CONTENTS
AbouttheEditors xi
Contributors xiii
Preface xv
SECTION I: GERMINATION IN THE SOIL AND STAND
ESTABLISHMENT
Chapter 1. Seedbed Preparation—The Soil Physical
Environment of Germinating Seeds 3
Amos Hadas
Introduction 3
Environmental Requirements of Germinating Seed 5
Soil Environment—Physical Aspects 9
Seedbed Preparation, Characterization of Seedbed Attributes,
and Seedbed Environment Conditions and Seed
Germination 20
Water Uptake by Seeds and Seedlings 24
Seed-Soil Water Relationships 27
Modeling Seed Germination and Seedbed Physical
Attributes 29
Concluding Remarks 36
Chapter 2. The Use of Population-Based Threshold Models
to Describe and Predict the Effects of Seedbed
Environment on Germination and Seedling Emergence
of Crops 51
William E. Finch-Savage
Introduction 51
Imbibition 54
Germination 56
Other Germination Models 72
Postgermination Seedling Growth 72
Threshold Models: Prediction of Germination and Emergence
Patterns in the Field 74