Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions
Published on: November 6, 2016
The Long-Standing Paradox of Seed Dormancy Unfolded?
1Department of Horticulture, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
Abstract:
There has been a long-standing question in seed research, why cyanide, a respiration inhibitor, breaks seed dormancy. While the alternative respiratory pathway and reactive oxygen species have been suggested to be part of the mechanism, the cell biological and mechanistic significance of this paradox remains unclear. The outcomes of recent research on mitochondrial RNA processing for the subunits of the electron transport chain complexes seem to offer a logical explanation. This opinion article attempts to integrate the accumulating evidence of mitochondrial involvement in ABA signaling with the frontier of seed research on DELAY OF GERMINATION1, a master regulator of dormancy, to present a coherent model for ABA signaling in seeds, which could also address the old paradox in seed research.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Unfolded Protein Response
Standing Waves
Seed Structure and Early Development of the Sporophyte
Regulation of the Unfolded Protein Response
Standing Electromagnetic Waves
Suppose a sheet of a perfect conductor is placed in the yz-plane, and a linearly polarized electromagnetic wave traveling in the...
Standing Waves in a Cavity

