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Challenges Facing the Forest Industry in Relation to Seed Dormancy and Seed Quality

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Seed Dormancy

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 773))

Abstract

Artificial regeneration of forests through planting requires high quantities of quality seeds for growing vigorous seedlings. These seedlings are raised in nurseries, where germination capacity (GC) and speed are the most important germination parameters. Germination performance is enhanced by prescribing species-specific dormancy-breaking treatments to individual seedlots in bare-root and container nurseries. For most conifer species in British Columbia, the dormancy-breaking treatments and germination conditions have been worked out, but fine-tuning and optimization could improve germination capacity and speed of germination. Implications of inter- and intra-species variations in germination behaviour and seed quality and their influence on the development of unintentional directional selection of specific genotypes are discussed. The potential of molecular and genomics approaches to understand the underlying biology of seed germination-related problems is also discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Branch, BC Ministry of Forest and Range, Tree Improvement Branch, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Victoria, BC, Canada

    Michael U. Stoehr

  2. Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Forest Sciences Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Yousry A. El-Kassaby

Authors
  1. Michael U. Stoehr
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  2. Yousry A. El-Kassaby
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael U. Stoehr .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser Unviersity, University Drive 8888, Burnaby, V5A 1S6, British Columbia, Canada

    Allison R. Kermode

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Stoehr, M.U., El-Kassaby, Y.A. (2011). Challenges Facing the Forest Industry in Relation to Seed Dormancy and Seed Quality. In: Kermode, A. (eds) Seed Dormancy. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 773. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-231-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-231-1_1

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-230-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-231-1

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