Unraveling the Dynamics of Seed Longevity: From Dormancy to Germination

Abstract The article’s aims are to be a comprehensive exploration of factors influencing seed longevity, emphasizing the importance of seed viability for future plant generations, biodiversity conservation, and agricultural productivity. It covers topics related to seed biology, storage conditions, the impact of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), the role of seed-associated microbiomes, DNA damage, genetic factors affecting longevity, and the intricate processes involved in seed germination. The discrepancies between artificially aged seeds and those aged naturally in ambient and long-term genebank conditions are discussed, underlining the importance of studying long-term stored seeds to identify genetic markers associated with seed longevity accurately and highlighting the application of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in uncovering genetic factors.