Seed dormancy challenges in the production of medicinal and underutilized leafy vegetables.

Abstract

Seed dormancy has played a significant role in the adaptation and evolution of seed plants, by ensuring germination under favorable conditions, avoiding extreme weather periods, and other unfavorable conditions. While its biological significance is clear, dormancy acts as a delaying mechanism, making it difficult to simultaneously plant and properly maintain the population of the most important indigenous high-quality plants, consequently inhibiting mass cultivation and adoption. Several genetic and environmental factors influence dormancy, and different crops and or crop varieties including those of medicinal and indigenous vegetables exhibit varying degrees of dormancy. Breaking of dormancy will make a significant contribution towards ensuring consistent germination and cultivation of these crops. It is also important to observe and understand the types of dormancy exhibited by these as this can provide a guide for effective methods of breaking it. This book chapter will comprehensively discuss the types and challenges of seed dormancy associated with wild medicinal plants and indigenous vegetables, with special mention of cancer bush and jute mallow, as well as some pre-sowing treatments that can be used to break their dormancy. It further examines the potential of technological advances such as gene editing, genome engineering, and epigenesis regulation in addressing these challenges and improving cultivation.