SEED DORMANCY

Dormancy (or the rest period) of seed refers to the inability of mature seed to germinate
even when placed under conditions favorable for germination.

Dormant seeds are seeds which remain viable (alive) though metabolically inactive and
incapable of germination under the conditions normally favorable for the species.

A dormant seed does not have the capacity to germinate in a specified period of time
under any combination of normal physical environmental factors that are otherwise
favourable for its germination, i.e. after the seed becomes non-dormant. A completely
non-dormant seed has the capacity to germinate over the widest range of normal
physical environmental factors possible for the genotype

Dormancy of seeds may be 3 type

 Primary dormancy
 Secondary dormancy
 Special dormancy

Primary dormancy
Primary dormancy refers to the dormancy which initiated during development and
maturation, exhibit for varying period of time. e. g., T. Aman seeds do not germinate for
certain period after maturation.

Secondary Dormancy
The dormancy which is induced in seeds due to some unfavorable environmental
conditions for germination is called secondary dormancy. eg. Rice seed cannot germinate
due to low soil moisture content.

Special dormancy
The dormancy which is due to the dormant conditions of some structures like epicotyle,
hypocotyle etc. Some times the plumules of the seeds do not germinate but radicle may
germinate or vice versa. Special dormancy in seed is of two types:

 Epicotyle dormancy and

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  Hypocotyle dormancy

Embryo dormancy: A dormant embryo is characterized by a high ABA/GA ratio, high

ABA (Abscissic Acid)sensitivity and low GA(Gibberellic Acid) sensitivity. Embryo
dormancy release involves remodelling of hormone biosynthesis and degradation towards
a low ABA/GA ratio, a decrease in ABA sensitivity and an increase in GA (Gibberellic
Acid) sensitivity. Thus ABA dominates the embryo dormancy program, and GA the
embryo germination program.

Coat dormancy: The combination of an embryo with low growth potential and
mechanical constraint from the seed covering layers can result in dormancy. GA can
release this coat dormancy by increasing the embryo growth potential and/or by reducing
the mechanical constraint. There are two forms which are distinguished based on whether
the covering layer consists of dead (e.g. outer testa) or living (e.g. endosperm) tissue:

(1) Testa dormancy: ABA during seed development determines the subsequent GA
requirement for germination since ABA influences the testa characteristics (e.g. thickness)
and GA the embryo growth potential.

(2) Endosperm dormancy: Endosperm weakening can be either part of the coat dormancy
release or part of the germination program. Since the endosperm is in most cases living
tissue it can actively participate in regulating embryo constraint by influencing both the
ABA/GA ratio and sensitivity to these hormones. GA acts by increasing the embryo
growth potential and by promoting endosperm weakening which is achieved though ABA-
independent and ABA-inhibited mechanisms.

Causes of dormancy
Causes of primary dormancy
1. Impermeable or possession of thick or hard seed coat that prevent the absorption
of water and probably of oxygen. eg. Hard seed in legume.
2. Mechanical resistance of seed coat or possession of seed coat that interfere with
the expansion of embryo. eg. Dormancy of oat, pigweed etc.
3. Impermeability of oxygen within the seed coat. eg. Seeds of composite family.

4. Rudimentary embryo or possession of immature embryo- Some times other parts

of the seed become mature before the embryo. Hence the seeds become externally
mature but it remain immature causing the failure of germination.
5. Dormant embryo- some times possession of embryo mature but which must
undergo changes before germination will take place. eg. Peach, Dog weed etc.
6. Germination inhibitor- some chemicals develop within the seeds and inhibit

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 germination. The chemicals are nitrophenol, hydroxyl amine etc.

Causes of secondary dormancy

1. Presence of CO2 can cause dormancy. eg. White mustard (Brassica alba) etc.
2. Presence of light- some seeds requires light for their germination. This type of
seed is called positively photoblastic seed. If they stored for some times under
dark condition exhibit dormancy. eg. Tobacco, Tomato etc. On the other hand,
some seeds require dark condition for their germination and this type of seed is
termed as negatively photoblastic seed. It must preserve in presence of light to get
dormancy. eg. Nigella damascena, Helleborus niger etc
3. Temperature for some seeds.

4. Changes of seed coat for some seeds.

Methods of breaking dormancy

Natural Methods of Breaking Seed Dormancy

i) Microorganisms present in the soil weaken and decompose the hard seed coat

ii) The digestive juices present in the alimentary canal of the fruit eating birds makes the
seed coat soft

iii) Mechanical abrasions weaken the tough and impermeable seed coat

iv) Washing away of inhibitors by rain or irrigated water

v) Inactivation of growth inhibitors by heat and cold

vi) Leaching of solutes in halophytes where dormancy is due to high concentration of

salts

vii) Synthesis of growth hormones

viii) Maturation of embryo

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Artificial Methods of Breaking Seed Dormancy

1. Soaking in water- Seeds are soaked in water for some times to make the seed coat
soft and to stimulate the embryo emergence. In case of hard seed coated seeds it is
a very effective method for breaking dormancy. e.g., Rice seed.

2. Scarification- Scarification is done for rupturing or weakening the pericarp of the

seed coat, so that water and oxygen can easily pass in the seed to facilitate
germination. Scarification are of two types-
a) Mechanical scarification- It is the process of breaking the seed coat with
sand paper or other rubbing materials
b) Chemical scarification- Chemical scarification is done by using strong
mineral acids like-H2SO4, KNO3 etc.
2. Low temperature- It is done in the cases where seed dormancy is the result of
physiological causes residing in the embryo. The percentage of germination may
be greatly improved by storing the seeds in moist condition at low temperature of
0-6°C for 2-3 months. These hasten the physiological changes that result in after
germination.

3. Alternating temperature- Morinage (1880) first observed that alternating the

temperature could break dormancy of seeds. The germination of seeds may be
increased through a considerable percentage by using the alternating low and night
temperature rather than normal temperature. When temperature is alternating
between 15-20°C the dormancy of seeds may be broken and ultimately the
germination percentage may be increased.

4. Light- Light is the prime important for the germination of some seeds. Some seed
do not germinate at all without light. eg. Tobacco seed. So, for this seed light is
also a factor for breaking dormancy.
5. Pressure- Seeds of sweet clover and Alfalfa showed a greatly improved
germination after being subjected to hydraulic pressure at 30°C. When the
pressure was applied for 5-10 minutes the germination of seeds were increased 50-
200%.
6. Growth regulator- Some growth regulators are widely used to hasten the
development of roots on cutting of stems and number of root production is
increased e. g., gibberellins, cytokinins ethylene and Auxines.

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Scarification

It is the weakening of seed coats by mechanical abrasions or chemical treatments.

Mechanically, the abrasions are caused by machine threshing, vigorous shaking.
Chemically, the seeds are treated with chemicals like potassium nitrate, thiourea,
ethylene, chlorohydrine to make the seed coats soft and weak.
Low Temperature (Chilling)

In many woody and in certain herbaceous species the dormancy can be broken by chilling
treatments, just above freezing (0 - 5o C).
Alternating Temperatures

Seeds are exposed to alternating high and low temperatures to reduce the concentration of
the inhibitory substances.
Running Water Treatment

Running water washes off the inhibitors from the seeds and breaks dormancy.
Light

In some plants, dormancy can be broken by exposing them to light.

Hormones Treatment

Dormancy in some seeds is broken by treating them with hormones such as gibberellins,
cytokinins and ethylene.

Advantages of seed dormancy

 It is a medium which helps to survive the species
 It prevents the germination of seeds in the field during production
 It helps in storing of seeds in the store house.
 Creation of a seed bank.

Disadvantages of seed dormancy

 It creates trouble in testing the seeds just after harvesting
 It interfere in the planting schedule
 In some seeds, it creates trouble in sowing just after harvesting.
 It misguides the farmer in sowing seeds.