Abstract
The new plant formed by sexual reproduction starts as an embryo within the developing seed, which arises from the ovule. When mature, the seed is the means by which the new individual is dispersed, though frequently the ovary wall or even extrafloral organs remain in close association to form a more complex dispersal unit as in grasses and cereals. The seed, therefore, occupies a critical position in the life history of the higher plant. The success with which the new individual is established—the time, the place, and the vigor of the young seedling—is largely determined by the physiological and biochemical features of the seed. Of key importance to this success are the seed’s responses to the environment and the food reserves it contains, which are available to sustain the young plant in the early stages of growth before it becomes an independent, autotrophic organism, able to use light energy. People also depend on these activities for almost all of their utilization of plants. Cultivation of most crop species depends on seed germination, though, of course, there are exceptions when propagation is carried out vegetatively. Moreover, seeds such as those of cereals and legumes are themselves major food sources whose importance lies in the storage reserves of protein, starch, and oil laid down during development and maturation.
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Useful Literature References
Sections 1.1 and 1.2: Some Advanced Literature on Seeds and Germination
Bewley, J. D., and Black, M., 1978, 1982, Physiology and Biochemistry of Seeds, Volumes 1 and 2, Springer-Verlag, Berlin (covers all aspects of viability, germination, dormancy, and environmental control).
Come, D., and Corbineau, F., 1993, Basic and Applied Aspects of Seed Biology, Volumes 1–3, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, ASFIS, Paris (presentations from 4th International Workshop on Seeds).
Khan, A. A. (ed.), 1977, The Physiology and Biochemistry of Seed Dormancy and Germination, North-Holland, Amsterdam (multiauthor contributions).
Khan, A. A. (ed.), 1982, The Physiology and Biochemistry of Seed Development, Dormancy and Germination, Elsevier, Amsterdam (multiauthor contributions).
Murray, D. R. (ed.), 1984, Seed Physiology, Volumes 1 and 2, Academic Press, New York (multiauthor work covering selected topics in development, germination, and reserve mobilization).
Roberts, E. H. (ed.), 1972, Viability of Seeds, Chapman and Hall, London (mostly viability but includes some physiology).
Simpson, G. M., 1990, Seed Dormancy in Grasses, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (overview of dormancy, especially in wild oats).
Taylorson, R. B. (ed.), 1989, Recent Advances in the Development and Germination of Seeds, Plenum Press, New York (NATO Workshop proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on Seeds).
Section 1.3
Goodchild, N. A., and Walker, M. G., 1971, Am. Bot. 35:615–621 (measurement of germination).
Hewlett, P. S., and Plackett, R. L., 1979, An Introduction to the Interpretation of Quantal Responses in Biology, Arnold, London (methods for mathematical analysis).
Janssen, J. G. M., 1973, Ann. Bot. 37:705–708 (recording germination curves).
Richter, D. D., and Switzer, G. L., 1982, Ann. Bot. 50:459–463 (quantitative expressions of dormancy in seeds).
Section 1.4
Corner, E. J. H., 1976, The Seeds of Dicotyledons, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (a comprehensive two-volume work on seed anatomy).
Forest Service, U.S. Dept. Agriculture, 1974, Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States, USDA, Washington, D.C. (structure and classification aspects).
Rost, T. L., 1973, Iowa State J. Res., 48:47–87 (grass caryopsis anatomy).
Vaughan, J. G., 1970, The Structure and Utilization of Oil Seeds, Chapman and Hall, London (anatomy of oil seeds).
Webb, M. A., and Arnott, H. J., 1982, Scanning Electron Microsc. 3:1109–1131 (mineral inclusions in seeds and seed coats).
Section 1.5
Biochemie und Physiologie der Pflanzen, 1988, 183:99-250 (multiauthor symposium volume on seed proteins).
Borroto, K., and Dure, L., 1987, Plant Mol. Biol. 8:113–131 (structural relationships and evolution of globulins).
Casey, R., Domoney, C., and Ellis, N., 1986, Oxford Surv. Plant Mol. Cell Biol. 3:1–95 (exhaustive review of legume storage proteins and their genes).
Crocker, W., and Barton, L. V., 1957, Physiology of Seeds, Chronica Botanica, Waltham, Mass. (includes seed constituent composition).
Derbyshire, E., Wright, D. J., and Boulter, D., 1976, Phytochemistry 15:3–24 (seed proteins).
Dey, P. M., and Dixon, R. A. (eds.), 1985, Biochemistry of Storage Carbohydrates in Green Plants, Academic Press, New York (chapters on seed carbohydrates).
Duffus, C. M., and Slaughter, J. C., 1980, Seeds and Their Uses, Wiley, New York (economically important seeds).
Earle, F. R., Curtice, J. J., and Hubbard, J. E., 1946, Cereal Chem. 23:504–511 (composition of corn kernel regions).
Frey, K. J., 1977, Z Pflanzenzuchtg. 78:185–215 (amino acids in cereal proteins).
Jacobsen, J. V., Knox, R. B., and Pyliotis, N. A., 1971, Planta 101:189–209 (protein bodies in barley aleurone layers).
Kreiss, M., and Shewry, P. R., 1989, Bio-Essays 10:201–207 (seed protein structure and evolution).
Krochko, J. E., and Bewley, J. D., 1988, Electrophoresis 9:751–763 (techniques for separation and identification of legume storage proteins).
Lambert, N., and Yarwood, J. N., 1992, in: Plant Protein Engineering (P. R. Shewry and S. Gutteridge, eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 167–187 (legume storage proteins, structure, uses and genetic engineering).
Larkins, B. A., 1981, in: The Biochemistry of Plants. Proteins and Nucleic Acids, Volume 6 (A. Marcus, ed.), Academic Press, New York, pp. 449–489 (seed storage proteins: review).
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Miflin, B. J., and Shewry, P. R., 1981, in: Nitrogen and Carbon Metabolism (J. D. Bewley, ed.), Nijhoff Junk, The Hague, pp. 195–248 (seed storage proteins: review).
Miller, E. C., 1931, Plant Physiology, McGraw-Hill, New York (seed constituent composition).
Parker, M. L., 1981, Ann. Bot. 47:181–186 (rye endosperm structure).
Payne, P. I., and Rhodes, A. P., 1982, in: Encyclopaedia of Plant Physiology, New Series, Springer, Berlin, Volume 14A, pp. 346–369 (cereal storage proteins: review).
Richardson, M., 1991, Methods Plant Biochem. 5:259–305 (enzyme inhibitors as seed storage proteins).
Shewry, P. R., and Tatham, A. S., 1990, Biochem. J. 267:1–12 (cereal protein relationships and evolution).
Weber, E. J., 1980, in: The Resource Potential in Phytochemistry. Recent Advances in Phytochemistry, Volume 14, Plenum Press, New York, pp. 97–137 (composition of corn kernels).
Weber, E., and Neumann, D., 1980, Biochem. Physiol. Pflanzen 175:279–306 (protein bodies and phytin).
Winton, A. L., and Winton, K. B., 1932, The Structure and Composition of Foods, Volume 1, Wiley, New York (review).
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Bewley, J.D., Black, M. (1994). Seeds. In: Seeds. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1002-8_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1002-8_1
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