Abstract
Seeds enable plant survival in harsh environmental conditions, and via seeds, genetic information is transferred from parents to the new generation; this stage provides an opportunity for sessile plants to settle in new territories. However, seed viability decreases over long-term storage due to seed aging. For the effective conservation of gene resources, e.g., in gene banks, it is necessary to understand the causes of decreases in seed viability, not only where the aging process is initiated in seeds but also the sequence of events of this process. Mitochondria are the main source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, so they are more quickly and strongly exposed to oxidative damage than other organelles. The mitochondrial antioxidant system is also less active than the antioxidant systems of other organelles, thus such mitochondrial ‘defects’ can strongly affect various cell processes, including seed aging, which we discuss in this paper.
Highlights
Seed aging, which decreases seed viability during storage, is a major problem for successful plant growth and productivity and leads to seed deterioration
We found that the level of the protein Prx IIF decreased in the mitochondria of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) seeds during the natural aging process (Ratajczak, results not published)
We believe that a thorough analysis of seed mitochondria in various tissues will bring us closer to understanding the causes of the seed aging process
Summary
Seed aging, which decreases seed viability during storage, is a major problem for successful plant growth and productivity and leads to seed deterioration. It is claimed that for the effective conservation of genetic resources, it is necessary to identify the factors influencing aging of seeds that differ in sensitivity to drying and long-term storage. Based on their properties, seeds are divided into three categories: Orthodox (tolerating drying to a moisture content
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