Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Seeds and seasons: Interpreting germination timing in the field

Publication ,  Journal Article
Donohue, K
Published in: Seed Science Research
September 1, 2005

This paper discusses how field and laboratory experiments, using a variety of genetic material, can be combined to investigate the genetic basis of germination under realistic ecological conditions, and it reviews some of our recent work on germination phenology of Arabidopsis thaliana in the field. Our results indicate that the genetic basis of germination depends on the environment. In particular, the conditions during seed maturation interact with post-dispersal environmental factors to determine germination phenology, and these interactions have a genetic basis. Therefore genetic studies of germination need to consider carefully the environment - both during seed maturation and after dispersal - in which the experiments are conducted in order to characterize genetic pathways involved with germination in the field. Laboratory studies that explicitly manipulate ecologically relevant environmental factors can be combined with manipulative field studies. These studies can identify the particular environmental cues to which seeds respond in the field and characterize the genetic basis of germination responses to those cues. In addition, a variety of genetic material - including mutant and transgenic lines, intact natural genotypes, recombinant genotypes, and near isogenic lines - can be used in field studies as tools to characterize genetic pathways involved in germination schedules under natural ecological conditions. © CAB International 2005.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Seed Science Research

DOI

ISSN

0960-2585

Publication Date

September 1, 2005

Volume

15

Issue

3

Start / End Page

175 / 187

Related Subject Headings

  • Plant Biology & Botany
  • 3108 Plant biology
  • 0703 Crop and Pasture Production
  • 0607 Plant Biology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Donohue, K. (2005). Seeds and seasons: Interpreting germination timing in the field. Seed Science Research, 15(3), 175–187. https://doi.org/10.1079/SSR2005208
Donohue, K. “Seeds and seasons: Interpreting germination timing in the field.” Seed Science Research 15, no. 3 (September 1, 2005): 175–87. https://doi.org/10.1079/SSR2005208.
Donohue K. Seeds and seasons: Interpreting germination timing in the field. Seed Science Research. 2005 Sep 1;15(3):175–87.
Donohue, K. “Seeds and seasons: Interpreting germination timing in the field.” Seed Science Research, vol. 15, no. 3, Sept. 2005, pp. 175–87. Scopus, doi:10.1079/SSR2005208.
Donohue K. Seeds and seasons: Interpreting germination timing in the field. Seed Science Research. 2005 Sep 1;15(3):175–187.
Journal cover image

Published In

Seed Science Research

DOI

ISSN

0960-2585

Publication Date

September 1, 2005

Volume

15

Issue

3

Start / End Page

175 / 187

Related Subject Headings

  • Plant Biology & Botany
  • 3108 Plant biology
  • 0703 Crop and Pasture Production
  • 0607 Plant Biology