Long days induce adaptive secondary dormancy in seed of the Mediterranean plant Aethionema arabicum

Zsuzsanna Merai, Kai Graeber, Fei Xu, Mattia Dona, Katarina Lalatovic, Per Wilhelmsson, Noe Fernandez-Pozo, Stefan Rensing, Gerhard Leubner-Metzger, Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid, Liam Dolan

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Abstract

Secondary dormancy is an adaptive trait that increases reproductive success by aligning seed germination with permissive conditions for seedling establishment. Aethionema arabicum is an annual plant and member of the Brassicaceae that grows in environments characterized by hot and dry summers. Aethionema arabicum seeds may germinate in early spring when seedling establishment is permissible. We demonstrate that long-day light regimes induce secondary dormancy in seed of Aethionema arabicum (CYP accession) repressing germination in summer when seedling establishment is riskier. Characterization of mutants screened for defective secondary dormancy demonstrated that RGL2 mediates repression of genes involved in GA signalling. Exposure to high temperature alleviates secondary dormancy, restoring germination potential. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that long-day-induced secondary dormancy and its alleviation by high temperatures, may be part of an adaptive response limiting germination to conditions permissive for seedling establishment in spring and autumn.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2893-2906
Number of pages14
JournalCurrent Biology
Volume34
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jul 2024

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