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Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Reliable Method for Assessing Seed Germination, Dormancy, and Mortality under Field Conditions
Published on: November 6, 2016
Genomic imprinting regulates establishment and release of seed dormancy
1Department of Plant Biology, Uppsala BioCenter, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Uppsala, Sweden.
Abstract:
Seed dormancy enables plant seeds to time germination until environmental conditions become favorable for seedling survival. This trait has high adaptive value and is of great agricultural relevance. The endosperm is a reproductive tissue formed after fertilization that in addition to support embryo growth has major roles in establishing seed dormancy. Many genes adopt parent-of-origin specific expression patterns in the endosperm, a phenomenon that has been termed genomic imprinting. Imprinted genes are targeted by epigenetic mechanisms acting before and after fertilization. Recent studies revealed that imprinted genes are involved in establishing seed dormancy, highlighting a new mechanism of parental control over this adaptive trait. Here, we review the regulatory mechanisms establishing genomic imprinting and their effect on seed dormancy.
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