Seed Germination and Dormancy under Stress

Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to cope with various stresses such as salt, drought, heat, chilling, and pathogens. Seed dormancy and germination are two closely related physiological traits that control the stress tolerance of plants. Light, temperature and nitrogen availability are the most critical environmental factors that profoundly affect seed dormancy and germination. From an agricultural perspective, since large-scale sowing requires rapid and uniform seed germination, fine-tuning seed germination and dormancy at the appropriate time is important for crop yield. Lack of dormancy ( preharvest sprouting ) leads to significant cereal yield loss, so precise control of seed dormancy contributes greatly to modern agricultural management. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanism underlying seed dormancy and germination is important for plant biologists and agronomists.

In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding seed germination and the dormancy mechanism. However, the complex signaling and regulatory network still need to be further explored. This Research Topic aims to present an overview of the fundamental discoveries in the field of seed dormancy and germination under stress in plants.

We welcome submissions of various types of manuscripts, including original research papers, reviews and methods, including but not limited to:
- Effects of environmental cues involving seed germination and dormancy.
- Hormonal regulation during seed germination and dormancy.
- Signal regulation network for seed germination and dormancy.
- Epigenetics for seed dormancy and germination
- Novel methods to control seed germination or dormancy