Dormancy and germination: How does the crop seed decide?

Whether seeds germinate or maintain dormancy is decided upon through very intricate physiological processes. Correct timing of these processes is most important for the plants life cycle. If moist conditions are encountered, a low dormancy level causes pre‐harvest sprouting in various crop species, such as wheat, corn and rice, this decreases crop yield and negatively impacts downstream industrial processing. In contrast, a deep level of seed dormancy prevents normal germination even under favourable conditions, resulting in a low emergence rate during agricultural production. Therefore, an optimal seed dormancy level is valuable for modern mechanised agricultural systems. Over the past several years, numerous studies have demonstrated that diverse endogenous and environmental factors regulate the balance between dormancy and germination, such as light, temperature, water status and bacteria in soil, and phytohormones such as ABA (abscisic acid) and GA (gibberellic acid). In this updated review, we highlight recent advances regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying regulation of seed dormancy and germination processes, including the external environmental and internal hormonal cues, and primarily focusing on the staple crop species. Furthermore, future challenges and research directions for developing a full understanding of crop seed dormancy and germination are also discussed.     

赤霉素调控玉米种子活力的研究进展

玉米是我国总产与平均单产最高的主要农作物,对于保障国家粮食安全具有举足轻重的作用。种子活力是衡量种子质量和应用价值的关键指标,高活力种子是确保作物高产、稳产的基础。赤霉素是重要的植物生长调节物质,具有解除种子休眠、促进萌发的作用,外源赤霉素的喷施已被广泛应用于农业生产以提高作物产量。目前赤霉素对玉米种子活力的影响研究多侧重于施加外源GA影响种子活力的相关生理指标上,而赤霉素调控玉米种子活力的作用机理尚需深入研究。本文综述了赤霉素的生物合成、信号转导、作用机制以及对玉米和其他作物种子活力影响的研究进展,旨为深入探究GA对于玉米种子活力的调控机制乃至玉米育种实践中高活力玉米新种质的创制提供参考。     

生长素代谢、运输及信号转导调控水稻粒型研究进展

水稻(Oryza sativa)是世界主要粮食作物。随着我国经济飞速发展, 耕地面积逐年减少, 提高水稻总产量唯有依靠单产的增加。粒重是决定水稻产量的重要因素之一, 其遗传稳定, 受外界环境因素影响较小。粒重由粒型和灌浆程度决定, 而粒型性状包括粒长、粒宽、粒厚和长宽比。水稻种子颖壳和胚乳发育决定了粒型和粒重, 颖壳细胞的增殖和扩张限制籽粒发育, 胚乳占据成熟种子的大部分体积。而生长素调控受精后颖壳和胚乳的发育, 是调控种子发育和影响水稻产量的重要植物激素。生长素的时空分布受生长素代谢、运输和信号转导的动态调节, 以维持生长素在种子发育中的最适水平。该文综述了生长素代谢、运输和信号转导调控水稻粒型的研究进展, 以期为深入探究生长素调控水稻粒型发育机制和提高水稻产量提供线索。     

Soil burial induced dormancy in weedy rice seeds through hormone level changes: Implications in adaptive evolution and weed control

Seed dormancy plays a key role in preventing seeds of higher plants from random germination under adverse environmental conditions. Previous studies suggested that a critical temperature could regulate germination of weedy rice seeds without primary dormancy at seed dispersion. However, what will happen to the non-dormant seeds after shattering in the soil seed banks when temperature fluctuates to exceed the critical temperature remains an interesting question to be investigated. To determine whether or not soil burial can change the status of dormancy in weedy rice seeds, we examined germination ratios of weedy rice seeds after soil-burial treatments. In addition, we compared hormone levels in the untreated seeds and viable but ungerminated seeds after soil burial. Results showed that soil burial induced a proportion of 41%–72% dormant seeds in the initially non-dormant weedy rice seeds. Also, the induction of seed dormancy is associated with the change of hormone levels in the seeds treated by soil burial, suggesting that soil burial can significantly activate the control of hormone production in seeds. Together, the previously reported mechanism of critical temperature-inhibited seed germination and the newly found phenomenon of soil burial-induced seed dormancy provide a “double-security” strategy to ensure germination of weedy rice seeds under a favorable condition in agricultural ecosystems. The findings not only reveal the important role of rapid evolution of adaptive functions in weeds, such as weedy rice, in adapting to changing agricultural environments, but also facilitate the design of strategies for effective weedy rice control practices.     

Use of proteomics to understand seed development in rice

Rice is an important cereal crop and has become a model monocot for research into crop biology. Rice seeds currently feed more than half of the world's population and the demand for rice seeds is rapidly increasing because of the fast‐growing world population. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying rice seed development is incompletely understood. Genetic and molecular studies have developed our understanding of substantial proteins related to rice seed development. Recent advancements in proteomics have revolutionized the research on seed development at the single gene or protein level. Proteomic studies in rice seeds have provided the molecular explanation for cellular and metabolic events as well as environmental stress responses that occur during embryo and endosperm development. They have also led to the new identification of a large number of proteins associated with regulating seed development such as those involved in stress tolerance and RNA metabolism. In the future, proteomics, combined with genetic, cytological, and molecular tools, will help to elucidate the molecular pathways underlying seed development control and help in the development of valuable and potential strategies for improving yield, quality, and stress tolerance in rice and other cereals. Here, we reviewed recent progress in understanding the mechanisms of seed development in rice with the use of proteomics.     

Some reflections on the relationship between endogenous hormones and light-mediated seed dormancy

The relationships between phytochrome and endogenous hormones in the light-mediated control of seed dormancy are discussed. It is concluded that gibberellins are primarily involved in post-dormancy metabolic processes leading to embryo growth and radicle emergence, such as food reserve mobilisation and endosperm softening. Evidence is considered that germination inhibitors, particularly abscisic acid, are involved in the establishment and maintenance of primary dormancy. The role of cytokinins not fully elucidated but there is considerable evidence to suggest that phytochrome control may involve cytokinin effects on transmembrane ion fluxes. In terms of hormonal control, phytochrome mediated dormancy is a complex phenomenon. There is a need for molecular studies of processes controlled by phytochrome, GAs, CKs and ABA during dormancy and germination to unravel the complexities of the dormancy mechanisms. Such studies would be facilitated by the availability of CK-deficient mutants of classical light-sensitive species.     

The novel quantitative trait locus GL3.1 controls rice grain size and yield by regulating Cyclin-T1;3

Increased crop yields are required to support rapid population growth worldwide. Grain weight is a key component of rice yield, but the underlying molecular mechanisms that control it remain elusive. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a new quantitative trait locus (QTL) for the control of rice grain length, weight and yield. This locus, GL3.1, encodes a protein phosphatase kelch (PPKL) family — Ser/Thr phosphatase. GL3.1 is a member of the large grain WY3 variety, which is associated with weaker dephosphorylation activity than the small grain FAZ1 variety. GL3.1-WY3 influences protein phosphorylation in the spikelet to accelerate cell division, thereby resulting in longer grains and higher yields. Further studies have shown that GL3.1 directly dephosphorylates its substrate, Cyclin-T1;3, which has only been rarely studied in plants. The downregulation of Cyclin-T1;3 in rice resulted in a shorter grain, which indicates a novel function for Cyclin-T in cell cycle regulation. Our findings suggest a new mechanism for the regulation of grain size and yield that is driven through a novel phosphatase-mediated process that affects the phosphorylation of Cyclin-T1;3 during cell cycle progression, and thus provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying crop seed development. We bred a new variety containing the natural GL3.1 allele that demonstrated increased grain yield, which indicates that GL3.1 is a powerful tool for breeding high-yield crops.     

Dormancy release, ABA and pre-harvest sprouting

Seed dormancy is an adaptive trait that enables the seeds of many species to remain quiescent until conditions become favorable for germination. Dormancy is normally initiated during seed maturation and maintained to seed maturity. In mature seeds, the loss of dormancy may be gradual (after-ripening) or can be terminated by chilling and other environmental triggers. Dormancy is an important trait for many important crop species: it inhibits pre-harvest spouting or vivipary, a widespread problem in many regions of the world. Too much dormancy, however, can lead to non-uniform germination in the field. Recent progress has been made in understanding the role of abscisic acid metabolism and dormancy release in both model plants and crop species. Advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that are involved in dormancy, along with approaches using quantitative genetics, will provide new strategies through which the desired level of dormancy can be introduced into crop species.     

细胞分裂素调控种子发育、休眠与萌发的研究进展

种子萌发是子代植株建立、生长和繁育的重要阶段,在种子植物生命周期中起重要作用。种子休眠是在发育过程中形成的,在生理成熟期达到峰值。种子休眠与萌发的植物激素调控可能是种子植物中一种高度保守的机制。细胞分裂素(CK)是植物体内的一种重要信号分子,调控植物生长发育的许多方面。生物活性CK的水平由其生物合成、活化、失活、再活化...     

No effect of transgene and strong wild parent effects on seed dormancy in crop–wild hybrids of rice: implications for transgene persistence in wild populations

Soil seed banks act as a gene pool for local plant species and, as such, can buffer local populations, especially those experiencing challenging environmental conditions. Seed dormancy has important implications to dynamics of soil seed banks. Therefore, estimating the seed dormancy of transgenic crop–wild hybrids could shed light on the persistence of transgenes in wild‐plant soil seed banks. Individuals from eight populations of wild rice Oryza rufipogon were crossed with those of three insect‐resistant transgenic rice lines. Selfed (F2–F4) and backcrossed populations (BC1, BC1F2 and BC1F3) were then made from the hybrids. Seed germination was tested under three treatments: (a) normal; (b) overwintering in soil; and (c) one‐week heat‐shocking. The effects of transgene, wild parent and hybrid generation on hybrid seed germination were examined. No significant effect of insect‐resistant transgenes (Bt and CpTI) was detected on the seed dormancy of crop–wild hybrids, while a significant wild parent effect was found. The seeds of advanced generation hybrids have higher germination percentages and lower dormancy than do those of F1 and BC1 generations. The study showed that the dormancy of hybrid seeds was determined mainly by their genetic backgrounds. All hybrid seeds have higher germination percentages and lower dormancy (and, consequently, a poorer overwintering ability), compared with wild seeds, and reduce dormancy would contribute to a fitness disadvantage, compared with wild types. Therefore, such seeds might form part of naturally occurring soil seed banks, through which crop genes would persist in wild populations.     

Seed birth to death: dual functions of reactive oxygen species in seed physiology

Background 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 embryogenesis, as well as in protection from pathogens.Scope This review considers the functions of ROS in seed physiology. ROS are present in all cells and at all phases of the seed life cycle. ROS accumulation is important in breaking seed dormancy, and stimulating seed germination and protection from pathogens. However, excessive ROS accumulation can be detrimental. Therefore, knowledge of the mechanisms by which ROS influence seed physiology will provide insights that may not only allow the development of seed quality markers but also help us understand how dormancy can be broken in several recalcitrant species.Conclusions Reactive oxygen species have a dual role in seed physiology. Understanding the relative importance of beneficial and detrimental effects of ROS provides great scope for the improvement and maintenance of seed vigour and quality, factors that may ultimately increase crop yields.     

Rice yield formation under high day and night temperatures—A prerequisite to ensure future food security

Increasing temperatures resulting from climate change dramatically impact rice crop production in Asia. Depending on the specific stage of rice development, heat stress reduces tiller/panicle number, decreases grain number per plant and lower grain weight, thus negatively impacting yield formation. Hence improving rice crop tolerance to heat stress in terms of sustaining yield stability under high day temperature (HDT), high night temperature (HNT), or combined high day and night temperature (HDNT) will bolster future food security. In this review article, we highlight the phenological alterations caused by heat and the underlying molecular-physiological and genetic mechanisms operating under different types of heat conditions (HDT, HNT, and HDNT) to understand heat tolerance. Based on our synthesis of HDT, HNT, and HDNT effects on rice yield components, we outline future breeding strategies to contribute to sustained food security under climate change.     

Molecular mechanisms of seed dormancy

Seed dormancy is an important component of plant fitness that causes a delay of germination until the arrival of a favourable growth season. Dormancy is a complex trait that is determined by genetic factors with a substantial environmental influence. Several of the tissues comprising a seed contribute to its final dormancy level. The roles of the plant hormones abscisic acid and gibberellin in the regulation of dormancy and germination have long been recognized. The last decade saw the identification of several additional factors that influence dormancy including dormancy-specific genes, chromatin factors and non-enzymatic processes. This review gives an overview of our present understanding of the mechanisms that control seed dormancy at the molecular level, with an emphasis on new insights. The various regulators that are involved in the induction and release of dormancy, the influence of environmental factors and the conservation of seed dormancy mechanisms between plant species are discussed. Finally, expected future directions in seed dormancy research are considered.     

Interactive effects of pests increase seed yield

Loss in seed yield and therefore decrease in plant fitness due to simultaneous attacks by multiple herbivores is not necessarily additive, as demonstrated in evolutionary studies on wild plants. However, it is not clear how this transfers to crop plants that grow in very different conditions compared to wild plants. Nevertheless, loss in crop seed yield caused by any single pest is most often studied in isolation although crop plants are attacked by many pests that can cause substantial yield losses. This is especially important for crops able to compensate and even overcompensate for the damage. We investigated the interactive impacts on crop yield of four insect pests attacking different plant parts at different times during the cropping season. In 15 oilseed rape fields in Sweden, we estimated the damage caused by seed and stem weevils, pollen beetles, and pod midges. Pest pressure varied drastically among fields with very low correlation among pests, allowing us to explore interactive impacts on yield from attacks by multiple species. The plant damage caused by each pest species individually had, as expected, either no, or a negative impact on seed yield and the strongest negative effect was caused by pollen beetles. However, seed yield increased when plant damage caused by both seed and stem weevils was high, presumably due to the joint plant compensatory reaction to insect attack leading to overcompensation. Hence, attacks by several pests can change the impact on yield of individual pest species. Economic thresholds based on single species, on which pest management decisions currently rely, may therefore result in economically suboptimal choices being made and unnecessary excessive use of insecticides.     

水稻稻瘟病和纹枯病抗性鉴定方法

水稻(Oryza sativa)是世界上最重要的粮食作物, 但稻瘟病和纹枯病等病害严重危害水稻的产量和品质, 给我国乃至全球粮食安全带来巨大威胁。鉴定水稻抗病资源、克隆抗病基因、揭示抗性机理并在育种中加以利用, 对抵御水稻病害和保障粮食安全具有十分重要的作用。准确评价水稻资源的抗病性, 是开展抗病机理研究和育种生产应用的关键环节。该文详述了水稻幼苗期人工喷雾接种、分蘖期和孕穗期田间注射接种与离体叶片戳伤接种的稻瘟病抗性鉴定方法, 以及水稻分蘖期田间接种、孕穗期温室接种和离体茎秆接种的纹枯病抗性鉴定方法, 以期为同行鉴定水稻资源、开展抗病理论和应用研究提供参考。     

Seed after-ripening is a discrete developmental pathway associated with specific gene networks in Arabidopsis

After-ripening (AR) is a time and environment regulated process occurring in the dry seed, which determines the germination potential of seeds. Both metabolism and perception of the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) are important in the initiation and maintenance of dormancy. However, molecular mechanisms that regulate the capacity for dormancy or germination through AR are unknown. To understand the relationship between ABA and AR, we analysed genome expression in Arabidopsis thaliana mutants defective in seed ABA synthesis (aba1-1) or perception (abi1-1). Even though imbibed mutant seeds showed no dormancy, they exhibited changes in global gene expression resulting from dry AR that were comparable with changes occurring in wild-type (WT) seeds. Core gene sets were identified that were positively or negatively regulated by dry seed storage. Each set included a gene encoding repression or activation of ABA function (LPP2 and ABA1, respectively), thereby suggesting a mechanism through which dry AR may modulate subsequent germination potential in WT seeds. Application of exogenous ABA to after-ripened WT seeds did not reimpose characteristics of freshly harvested seeds on imbibed seed gene expression patterns. It was shown that secondary dormancy states reinstate AR status-specific gene expression patterns. A model is presented that separates the action of ABA in seed dormancy from AR and dry storage regulated gene expression. These results have major implications for the study of genetic mechanisms altered in seeds as a result of crop domestication into agriculture, and for seed behaviour during dormancy cycling in natural ecosystems.     

Formation Mechanism and Occurrence Law of Pod Shattering in Soybean: A Review

Seed shattering refers to the phenomenon in which the pods split along the abdominal and back sutures before the crop is received, so that the seeds are spread. Seed shattering is vital to the reproduction of their offspring in wild plants, but it is also the main cause of crop yield loss reason. Pod-explosion resistance is a complex process of physical and physiological and biochemical reactions. Soybean seed shattering phenomenon is widespread, which severely restricts the development of soybean industry. Seed shattering (pod cracking or fruit dropping) is essential for the reproduction of its offspring in wild plants, but it is also the main cause of crop yield loss. This article analyzes the morphology and structure of pods related to seed shattering from the morphology of pods. On the basis of the regularity of the occurrence of seed shattering and the summary of phenotypic index identification methods, physiologically introduced the regulation mechanism of key enzymes and endogenous hormones on seed shattering. The localization, labeling and cloning of seed shattering genes are introduced in molecular biology. The study focused on reviewing the latest advances in the research on soybean seed shattering characteristics, and discussed with the research results of related crops. Finally, the research and application of soybean seed shattering resistance were prospected for several aspects.     

Brassinosteroid signaling and application in rice

Combined approaches with genetics, biochemistry, and proteomics studies have greatly advanced our understanding of brassinosteroid (BR) signaling in Arabidopsis. However, in rice, a model plant of monocot and as well an important crop plant, BR signaling is not as well characterized as in Arabidopsis. Recent studies by forward and reverse genetics have identified a number of either conserved or specific components of rice BR signaling pathway, bringing new ideas into BR signaling regulation mechanisms. Genetic manipulation of BR level or BR sensitivity to improve rice yield has established the great significance of BR research achievements.