Seed Dormancy Methods and Protocols

This volume provides basic and state-of-the-art methods for fundamental seed research and practical application. Chapters detail recent seed dormancy studies, basic methods for germination and longevity, seed imaging, sugar, chromatin analyses, QTL analysis, and GWAS protocols for diploid and complex hexaploid species. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Authoritative and cutting-edge, Seed Dormancy: Methods and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

Genetic, epigenetic and environmental control of seed dormancy and germination.- Regulation of seed dormancy genes in Triticeae species.- Assessment of dormancy level and germination ability of seeds with physiological dormancy.- Germination assays for comparable seed dormancy depth and distinction of seed color by multiplex PCR in wheat.- Assessing seed germination response of parasitic plant Striga hermonthica with small-molecule probes.- A seed storage protocol to determine longevity.- Analysis of raffinose metabolism related sugar components in seeds.- Chromatin immunoprecipitation using imbibed seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana.- Confocal imaging of seeds.- Map-based cloning of the causal gene for a seed dormancy quantitative trait locus in barley.- Genome-wide association study of pre-harvest sprouting in wheat.- Functional analysis of seed dormancy genes by biolistic transient gene expression in immature embryos of wheat.- Genome editing to produce knockout mutations of seed dormancy genes in wheat.- Targeted modification of grain dormancy genes in barley.- In planta genome editing in commercial wheat varieties: Use of TaQsd1 to lengthen seed dormancy.- Evaluation methods for preharvest sprouting resistance in Japanese wheat breeding programs.