Dormancy studies in seed of Avena fatua. 9. Demonstration of genetic variability affecting the response to temperature during seed development

Abstract

Experiments are reported which demonstrate characteristic differences among pure lines of wild oats in the degree to which seed dormancy is influenced by temperature during seed development. In some lines, high temperature during seed maturation greatly reduced the duration of primary dormancy; in others, this effect was relatively slight. Evidence is discussed that two temperature-sensitive physiological processes influence the duration of dormancy in this species.