Seed Dormancy: Pre-harvest Sprouting

RODRÍGUEZ, M. VERÓNICA; BENECH-ARNOLD R.L., SÁNCHEZ R.A. AND RODRIGUEZ M.V.; BENECH-ARNOLD R.L.

Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences, Vol 1

ELSEVIER - ACADEMIC PRESS

Año: 2017; p. 540 - 545

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) takes place when germination occurs in the mother plant as a result of rainy weather prior to crop harvest. It hasa wide range of consequences, which go from immediate viability loss upon grain desiccation, to low storability and dramatic alterations ingrain quality. Resistance to PHS might be related to morphological characteristics of the inflorescence. However, timing with which thegrains are released from physiological dormancy usually explains the variability in sprouting behavior. Physiological dormancy is underhormonal control and, for that reason, improvement of the sprouting behavior of cereal genotypes relies on our understanding of processessuch as hormone (e.g., abscisic acid and gibberellin) metabolism and signaling. Hormonal studies yielded several candidate genes that havebeen identified as regulatory sites. These and other genes identified through genetic studies represent a potential technological battery fortackling the risk of sprouting in cereals.