Module 5: Germination and dormancy

Introduction

Welcome to module 5. Earlier in this course, you learned about germination testing and how it helps you to monitor viability. This final module supports you in the practicalities of germination testing, as well as giving a fascinating glimpse of new technologies that may help us predict the ability of seeds to germinate.

You will learn how to maximize the chances your seeds will germinate, how seeds that do not germinate may provide useful information about the quality of your seeds, and the effectiveness of your testing. Dormancy, a failure to germinate even when environmental conditions are ideal, was first introduced in module 1. By the end of this module, you will understand the different mechanisms of dormancy that exist in the natural world, and what you can do to break these types of dormancy.

When your viability data tells you it is time to regenerate, it is crucial to ensure that the next generation of seeds is as close as possible to the genotype of the seeds in the original accession. This module gives you helpful tips on how to ensure that the samples you keep from the new generation of seeds are as close as possible to the original samples.