Introduction. Ecologically Meaningful Germination Studies. Types of Seed Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Nondeep Physiological Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Morphophysiological Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds with Physical Dormancy. Germination Ecology of Seeds in the Persistent Seed Bank. Causes of Within-Species Variations in Seed Dormancy and Germination Characteristics. A Geographical Perspective on Germination Ecology: Tropical and Subtropical Zones. A Geographical Perspective on Germination Ecology: Temperate and Arctic Zones. Germination Ecology of Plants with Specialized Life Cycles and/or Habitats. Biogeographical and Evolutionary Aspects of Seed Dormancy. Subject Index.

A Definitive Book on Seed Ecology@@@Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination

Terpenes in Cannabis sativa - From plant genome to humans.

Aims
We evaluated the impact of fungal endophyte symbiosis on the growth, ecophysiological and reproductive success of wheat exposed to heat and drought.

Methods and Results
The resistance of pot-grown wheat to heat or drought stress was measured by quantifying efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), plant height, average seed weight (ASW), total seed weight (TSW), water-use efficiency (WUE) as well as time to 50% germination and percentage germination of second-generation seeds produced under heat stress, drought stress or well-watered conditions. The endophytic fungi tested increased wheat tolerance for drought and heat. Endophyte SMCD 2206 was the most beneficial, followed by SMCD 2210 and 2215. Surprisingly, second-generation seeds produced by drought-stressed wheat colonized by SMCD 2206, 2210 or 2215 had decreased WUE relative to those produced by endophyte-free, drought-stressed plants. However, these seeds germinated more rapidly than those produced by endophyte-free, stressed parental plants.

Conclusions
The tested consortium of endophytes has the potential to improve wheat adaptation to heat and drought.

Significance and Impact of the Study
The capacity of endophytes to increase wheat tolerance for abiotic stress and to improved germination in endophyte-free second-generation seeds arising from stressed plants could be applicable to agriculture. The mechanisms by which intergenerational endophyte-mediated affects occurs warrant further research.

Fungal endophytes enhance wheat heat and drought tolerance in terms of grain yield and second‐generation seed viability

Seed germination is a critical life stage for plants survival and timely seedling establishment especially in stressful environments. We hypothesized that fungal endophytes would improve wheat seed...

Fungal endophytes improve wheat seed germination under heat and drought stress

Life History and Genetic Strategies 1 Evolutionary ecology of the first fungi J.H. Andrews and R.F. Harris 2 Molecular approaches for studying fungi in the environment K. Brunner, S. Zeilinger and R.L. Mach Determinants of Fungal Communities 3 Disturbances in natural ecosystems: scaling from fungal diversity to ecosystem functioning S.J. Morris, C.F. Friese, and M.F. Allen 4 Fungal Responses to Disturbance: agriculture and forestry R.M. Miller and D.J. Lodge 5 Fungi and industrial pollutants G.M. Gadd 6 Fungi in extreme environments N. Magan 7 Biogeography and conservation E.J.M. Arnolds Fungal Interactions and Biological Control Strategies 8 Mycoparasitism and antagonism A. Viterbo, J. Inbar, Y. Hadar and I. Chet 9 Antagonism of plant parasitic nematodes by fungi S. Casas-Flores and A. Herrera-Estrella 10 Entomopathogenic Fungi and their role in Pest Control A.K. Charnley and S. A. Collins 11 Bacterial weapons of fungal destruction: Phyllosphere targeted biological control of plant pathogens W. G. Dilantha Fernando, R. Ramarathnam and T. de Kievit 12 Effects of animals grazing on fungi. T. McGonigle 13 Endophytic Fungi P. Bayman 14 Mycorrhizal fungi: their habitats and nutritional strategies M. Girlanda, S. Perotto and P. Bonfante 15 Applications of fungal ecology in the search for new bioactive fungal products J.B. Gloer Decomposition, Biomass and Industrial Applications 16 Nutrient cycling by saprophytic fungi interrestrial habitats J. Dighton 17 Decomposition of plant litter by fungi in marine and freshwater ecosystems M.O. Gessner, V. Gulis, K. Kuehn, E. Chauvet and K. Suberkropp 18 Degradation of cellulose and hemicellulose polymers by fungi C. Gamauf, B. Metz and B. Seiboth

Environmental and Microbial Relationships

This article emphasizes the new concept of "mycovitalism": the relationship between fungi and seeds, maintaining their vitality and leading to germination. An innovative fungal bioassay to address the question of orchid seed viability is described in which viability is evaluated using co-culture with Fusarium semitectum. In viable seeds, this leads to seed coloration and germination. This Fusarium strain was isolated using myclobutanil agar and identified. Its phylogenetical status was defined based on sequences of the EF-1 alpha gene. The culture-independent PCR-DGGE fingerprinting method was optimized to assess Fusarium diversity in situ and select promising strains for orchid seed viability testing in orchid production using biotechnology. The Orchidaceae were selected as a model system for future studies on plants with minute seeds.

Mycovitality and mycoheterotrophy: where lies dormancy in terrestrial orchid and plants with minute seeds?

Cannabis legalization has occurred in several countries worldwide. Along with steadily growing research in Cannabis healthcare science, there is an increasing interest for scientific-based knowledge in plant microbiology and food science, with work connecting the plant microbiome and plant health to product quality across the value chain of cannabis. This review paper provides an overview of the state of knowledge and challenges in Cannabis science, and thereby identifies critical risk management and safety issues in order to capitalize on innovations while ensuring product quality control. It highlights scientific gap areas to steer future research, with an emphasis on plant-microbiome sciences committed to using cutting-edge technologies for more efficient Cannabis production and high-quality products intended for recreational, pharmaceutical, and medicinal use.

Scientific Prospects for Cannabis-Microbiome Research to Ensure Quality and Safety of Products.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the overall global burden of mental disorders. An increasing number of studies have revealed that among 20 different amino acids, high proline consumption is a dietary factor with the strongest impact on depression in humans and animals, including insects. Recent studies acknowledged that gut microbiota play a key role in proline-related pathophysiology of depression. In addition, the multi-omics approach has alleged that a high level of metabolite proline is directly linked to depression severity, while variations in levels of circulating proline are dependent on microbiome composition. The gut–brain axis proline analysis is a gut microbiome model of studying depression, highlighting the critical importance of diet, but nothing is known about the role of the plant microbiome–food axis in determining proline concentration in the diet and thus about preventing excessive proline intake through food consumption. In this paper, we discuss the protocooperative potential of a holistic study approach combining the microbiota–gut–brain axis with the microbiota–plant–food–diet axis, as both are involved in proline biogenesis and metabolism and thus on in its effect on mood and cognitive function. In preharvest agriculture, the main scientific focus must be directed towards plant symbiotic endophytes, as scavengers of abiotic stresses in plants and modulators of high proline concentration in crops/legumes/vegetables under climate change. It is also implied that postharvest agriculture—including industrial food processing—may be critical in designing a proline-balanced diet, especially if corroborated with microbiome-based preharvest agriculture, within a circular agrifood system. The microbiome is suggested as a target for selecting beneficial plant endophytes in aiming for a balanced dietary proline content, as it is involved in the physiology and energy metabolism of eukaryotic plant/human/animal/insect hosts, i.e., in core aspects of this amino acid network, while opening new venues for an efficient treatment of depression that can be adapted to vast groups of consumers and patients. In that regard, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and molecular biomarkers combined with rapid and non-destructive imaging technologies were also discussed in the scope of enhancing integrative science outcomes, agricultural efficiencies, and diagnostic medical precisions.

/pdf/microbiome-driven-proline-biogenesis-in-plants-under-stress-2otassya.pdf

Josko Vujanovic

Papers

Mycovitality and mycoheterotrophy: where lies dormancy in terrestrial orchid and plants with minute seeds?

Scientific Prospects for Cannabis-Microbiome Research to Ensure Quality and Safety of Products.

Microbiome-Driven Proline Biogenesis in Plants under Stress: Perspectives for Balanced Diet to Minimize Depression Disorders in Humans