Seed quality is critical to achieving successful crop cultivation, propagation and breeding, whilst seeds are also pivotal to the conservation and management of plant genetic resources. The sector must develop a better understanding of seed quality, germination and seedling emergence to ensure successful crop establishment. Advances in seed science and technology for more sustainable crop production provides an authoritative review of the wealth of current research on key advances in seed science and technology. The collection considers the development of new techniques to ensure seed quality control, including seed phenotyping, hyper-spectral imaging and electrophotography. Later chapters discuss advances in seed coating, conditioning and priming techniques, as well as the growing use of biostimulant-based seed treatments throughout agriculture.

High-quality seed is essential for healthy crops and greater agricultural productivity. At the same time, advances in breeding technology require equivalent advances in seed technology. In order to ensure food security, it is crucial to develop seeds that are high yielding, and resistant to drought, heat, cold, and insects. Gathering the latest research in seed sciences, the book includes contributions on seed production in crops such as legumes, sugar, rice, wheat and other cereals. It discusses a range of topics, like the effect of climate change on seed quality, production and storage; seed rouging; seed certification for different crop species; seed biology; and seed pathologies and their effective management. Integrating basic and applied research, this compendium provides valuable insights for researchers and students in agricultural and life sciences; professionals involved in seed certification and those working in quarantine laboratories; as well as plant pathologists.

The seed plays a fundamental role in plant reproduction as well as a key source of energy, nutrients and raw materials for developing and sustaining humanity. With an expanding and generally more affluent world population projected to reach nine billion by mid-century, coupled to diminishing availability of inputs, agriculture is facing increasing challenges to ensure sufficient grain production. A deeper understanding of seed development, evolution and physiology will undoubtedly provide a fundamental basis to improve plant breeding practices and ultimately crop yields. Recent advances in genetic, biochemical, molecular and physiological research, mostly brought about by the deployment of novel high-throughput and high-sensitivity technologies, have begun to uncover and connect the molecular networks that control and integrate different aspects of seed development and help determine the economic value of grain crops with unprecedented details. The objective of this e-book is to provide a compilation of original research articles, reviews, hypotheses and perspectives that have recently been published in Frontiers in Plant Science, Plant Evolution and Development as part of the Research Topic entitled "Advances in Seed Biology". Editing this Research Topic has been an extremely interesting, educational and rewarding experience, and we sincerely thank all authors who contributed their expertise and in-depth knowledge of the different topics discussed. We hope that the information presented here will help to establish the state of the art of this field and will convey how exciting and important studying seeds is and hopefully will stimulate a new crop of scientists devoted to investigating the biology of seeds.

This updated and much revised third edition of Seeds: Physiology of Development, Germination and Dormancy provides a thorough overview of seed biology and incorporates much of the progress that has been made during the past fifteen years. With an emphasis on placing information in the context of the seed, this new edition includes recent advances in the areas of molecular biology of development and germination, as well as fresh insights into dormancy, ecophysiology, desiccation tolerance, and longevity. Authored by preeminent authorities in the field, this book is an invaluable resource for researchers, teachers, and students interested in the diverse aspects of seed biology.

These proceedings contain 43 papers on the aspects of seed conservation, development, biotechnology, germination, dormancy and ecology.

New Challenges in Seed Biology - Basic and Translational Research Driving Seed Technology combines different aspects of basic and translational research in seed biology. A collection of eight chapters written by seed biology experts from the field of seed physiology, ecology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and seed technology was gathered. We hope that this book will attract the attention of researchers and technologists from academia and industry, providing points for interactive and fruitful discussion on this fascinating topic.

This text is intended for plant physiologists, molecular biologists, biochemists, biotechnologists, geneticists, horticulturalists, agromnomists and botanists, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines. It integrates advances in the diverse and rapidly-expanding field of seed science, from ecological and demographic aspects of seed production, dispersal and germination, to the molecular biology of seed development. The book offers a broad, multidisciplinary approach that covers both theoretical and applied knowledge.