Two awn-development-related peptides, GAD1 and OsEPFL2, promote seed dispersal and germination in rice

Jin Jing, Xiong Luling, Gray Julie E., Hu Bin, Chu Chengcai

MOLECULAR PLANT

DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2022.12.011

In nature,seed dispersal and germination are crucial for plant survival and propagation.Elaborate mechanisms have evolved that enhance the success of these events(Peart,1981;Bewley,1997),and the widespread distribution of grass species has been associated with the evolution of these traits.Many of these mechanisms are associated with characteristics that are intrinsic to the seed,such as awn development,seed shattering,and germination(Ntakirutimana et al.,2019).Awns and/or other seed appendages often help mature seeds to disperse widely and germinate under various challenging environments(Elbaum et al.,2007).