Seed Dormancy and Agriculture , Physiology

ROBERTO LUIS BENECH-ARNOLD; MARIA VERONICA RODRIGUEZ; DIEGO BATLLA

Sustainable Food Production

SPRINGER

Año: 2013; p. 1425 - 1435

Dormancy is a common attribute of temperate species. Its adaptive significance is quite evident for species living in the wild: dormancy is a mean for restricting germination to the season when environmental conditions are suitable for plant establishment. From an agricultural perspective, dormancy represents a problem, both when it is long lasting and when it is too short. For that reason, selection against dormancy has been always behind any domesti- cation effort. In some cases, the aim of removing dor- mancy has not been achieved, and in others, it has gone too far resulting in susceptibility to preharvest sprouting. In addition, the fight against weeds is frequently impaired by the existence of long-lasting seed banks as a result of seed dormancy.