ISHS Acta Horticulturae 314: II International Symposium on Propagation of Ornamental Plants
WHAT MAKES SEEDS AND THEIR GERMINATION SPECIAL FOR PROPAGATION. |
| Author: | A.M. Mayer |
| Keywords: | embryo, seed coat, cotyledons, endosperm, chromosome numbers, water content, longevity, recalcitrance, metabolism, secondary metabolites, osmo-conditioning, pelleting, storage |
| Abstract:
Seeds are metabolically inactive, packaged units for the propagation of plants. They are characterised by a high degree of resistance to heat, cold, infection to pathogens and often impermeable to water. Frequently they have built in protection against herbivores. Genetically they are rather uniform, their properties depending solely on the characteristics of their parents. They do not constitute clones and their variability is quite predictable. Seeds are particularly suited to handling in bulk, packaging and easily distributed. They can be sown in bulk or singly. During germination seeds have the ability to sense and respond to external conditions and to adapt to them. As a result in seed germination there is an element of protection against unforeseen, sudden environmental changes. Germination can be manipulated by various means. It is easy to provide the seed with additional factors which may improve success of their germination, by pelleting or coating them with growth substances, minerals or protectants such as fungicides in order to give the seedling a better start early in its development. They can also be manipulated by osmoconditioning. These properties make the seed the ideal unit for propagation of plants, and the standards of all other methods should be compared with them. | |
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