Crop Production Department, College of Agricultural Science, State University of São Paulo (UNESP), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
PLoS One. 2022 Oct 14;17(10):e0276136. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276136. eCollection 2022.
What is the relation between seed quality and food security? Here we built a summary diagram that links the development stages of the seeds with their potential of providing grain yield. This idea was tested using cowpea as a model crop, grown in a tropical environment. Initially, seed quality attributes such as water content, dry weight, germination, vigor, and longevity were characterized during seed development. With this, we were able to elucidate at which point the late maturation phase and the acquisition of seed with superior physiological quality starts. From these data, the proposed summary diagram highlighted the seed quality as a technological basis for generating a more productive plant community. It also showed that only seeds with a high-quality profile have a better chance to establishment in an increasingly challenging agricultural environment. Overall, we bring the concept that cowpea seeds with superior quality besides being the essential input for tropical agriculture is also a strategy that can contribute food security.
种子质量与粮食安全之间有何关系？在这里，我们构建了一个摘要图，将种子的发育阶段与其提供谷物产量的潜力联系起来。该想法使用在热带环境中生长的豇豆作为模式作物进行了测试。最初，在种子发育过程中对种子质量属性（如水分含量、干重、发芽率、活力和寿命）进行了表征。由此，我们能够阐明在哪个阶段，后期成熟阶段和获得具有更高生理质量的种子开始。根据这些数据，所提出的摘要图强调了种子质量作为产生更具生产力的植物群落的技术基础。它还表明，只有具有高质量特征的种子才有更好的机会在日益具有挑战性的农业环境中建立。总的来说，我们提出了一个概念，即除了是热带农业的必要投入外，具有优良品质的豇豆种子也是一种可以促进粮食安全的策略。
