From Seed Germination to Young Plants

This book includes new information on the growth, ecology, and effects of environmental influences on plant tissues from the scale of the germination of seeds to that of young plants. It starts with a review article that mostly address the initial phase of the plant life cycle (i.e., seed germination) from an ecophysiological viewpoint. The following three chapters shed light on the translocation and utilization of storage compounds in relation to the formation of those aromatics, during the germination and greening of Cucumis sativus. The remaining chapters are related to applied research, and include information obtained under laboratory conditions, although most studies were conducted at the field in salt-marsh; temperate, arid and semiarid; humid, subtropical; high mountain, Mediterranean; tropical or cool-temperate forest, or mine tailing ecosystems. They increase our knowledge of the dynamics of root-microenvironment systems on wheat seedlings and the importance of safe sites in the establishment of new individuals and plant species regeneration of rangeland perennial grasses and forbs. Environmental conditions affect seed germination of spring ephemerals at the floor of deciduous, broad-leaved forests, and need of inoculating exotic tree species (e.g., Acacia mangium) with native mycorrhizal fungi for a successful rehabilitation of marginal and mine tailing sites in the Philippines.