Ecological and physiological aspects of seed dormancy and germination (review of investigations for the last century)

摘要

During the last century the seed dormancy mechanisms and the classification of dormancy types were considerably elaborated. New information was obtained on the physiological dormancy (PD) and especially the nondeep dormancy (NPD). The PD type provedto be caused by a special physiological mechanism of growth inhibition (PMI). Existence of annual cycles of NPD state of buried seeds (dormant <-> not dormant) was reported. Conditions of breaking the morphophysiological seed dormancy of different typeswere revealed. It was shown that not only the seed germination but also the embryo development are governed by PMI. The seed dormancy formulae were revised.