Preface

Chapter 7 **The Dynamics of Plant Cell Wall In Muro Modifications and its Physiological Implications on Seed Germination 155** Ximena Gómez‐Maqueo and Alicia Gamboa‐deBuen

Chapter 8 **Seed Germination Technologies for Helophyte Production Used**

Trinidad Ruiz-Téllez, Francisco M. Vázquez-Pardo, José Blanco-Salas

**in Wastewater Treatment 179**

and F. Javier Carbonell-Espín

**VI** Contents

Seed biology, a fascinating aspect of plant sciences, covers all the crucial aspects of seed de‐ velopment, germination, as well as seed treatments. The need for increased seed quality has become a priority necessary to face the current demand for high standards in the agricultur‐ al market and seed industry [1, 2]. Seed producers are always looking for high-quality seeds to fit the demands of the competitive EU seed market, which reached a value around € 7 billion, corresponding to 20 % of the global market in 2012 [3].

In this book *New Challenges in Seed Biology - Basic and Translational Research Driving Seed Tech‐ nology*, we provide a state of the art of the current knowledge on seed biology with focus on seed technology. A collection of eight chapters written by seed biology experts from the field of seed physiology, ecology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and industrial seed tech‐ nology was gathered.

Optimal crop performance requires rapid and uniform seedling emergence since delayed germination exposes plantlets to unfavorable environmental conditions. Critical points in the search for novel hallmarks of seed vigor are the metabolic changes induced by water uptake and the response to priming or invigoration treatments. In this context, Lutts and coworkers contributed with an updated review on the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial response of seeds to priming, taking advances of the recent knowledge gath‐ ered by the use of global expression profiling methods. In the same topic, Afzal looks over the recent advances on seed treatments, highlighting the use of physical treatments as alter‐ native approaches to chemical-based seed invigoration protocols.

Knowledge on the metabolic dynamics that accompany the transition from the quiescent state of dry seeds to the active proliferating state of germinating seeds/seedlings is being continuously updated. The signaling cross talk between the reactive oxygen species and growth regulators implicated in the release and/or induction of dormancy was discussed by Soundararajan et al. Mehmet et al. described the effects of the application of plant regulators on seed germination of *Lilium* genus, highlighting the potential of these types of seed treat‐ ments for mass propagation of both endangered and ornamental *Lilium* species.

Seed storage plays a major role in ensuring seed quality from the moment the seeds reach physiological maturity until they germinate. Appropriate postharvest handling helps to pre‐ serve seed viability but also ensures the economical value of the final product. In developing countries, seed postharvest techniques are a proxy of increased food security and income for local populations. Yousaf et al.reviewed the different postharvesting techniques available to address the needs of not only developing countries but also the more industrialized ones.

Advanced molecular tools applied to translational research programs in seed science are ex‐ pected to address key societal challenges in agriculture and industry while ensuring envi‐ ronmental protection. Kanai et al. extensively described how the available fundamental knowledge on lipid biosynthesis could be used for increasing oil production in crops. Gó‐ mez-Maqueo et al. highlighted the potentialities of modulating cell wall properties to en‐ hance seed germination traits. On the other side, Ruiz-Téllez et al.reviewed the potentialities of seed technology for helophyte production to be used in green wetlands with horizontal surface for wastewater treatment.

We hope that this book, which combines different aspects of basic and translational research in seed biology, will attract the attention of researchers and technologists from academia and industry, providing points for interactive and fruitful discussion on this fascinating topic.

#### **Acknowledgments**

This work was supported by grants from the University of Pavia. During this book edition, SSA has been awarded by a research contract funded by CARIPLO Foundation (Action 3, Code 2013-1727)—Integrated Project "Advanced Priming Technologies for the Lombardy Agro-Seed Industry (PRIMTECH)." The financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Lisbon, Portugal) is acknowledged through research unit "GREEN-it: Bioresour‐ ces for Sustainability" (UID/Multi/04551/2013) and presents SSA postdoctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/108032/2015).

#### **References**

[1] Araújo SS, Paparella S, Dondi D, Bentivoglio A, Carbonera D, Balestrazzi A. Physical methods for seed invigoration: advantages and challenges in seed technology. Frontiers in Plant Science 2016 7: 646. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00646

[2] Paparella S, Araújo SS, Rossi G, Wijayasinghe M, Carbonera D, Balestrazzi A. Seed pri‐ ming: state of the art and new perspectives. Plant Cell Reports 2015 34: 1281–1293. DOI: 10.1007/s00299-015-1784-y

[3] Ragonnaud M. The EU seed and plant reproductive material market in perspective: a focus on companies and market shares (2013). Policy Department B: Structural and Cohe‐ sion Policies. European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. Brussels: European Commission

> **Dr. Susana Araújo** Plant Cell Biotechnology Laboratory Oeiras, Portugal

> > **Alma Balestrazzi** Universitá degli Study di Pavia, Pavia, Italy
