title: Seedlings' Strategy to Overcome a Soil Barrier.
abstract: The impact of the plant hormone ethylene on seedling development has long been recognized; however, its ecophysiological relevance is unexplored. Three recent studies demonstrate that ethylene is a critical endogenous integrator of various environmental signals including mechanical stress, light, and oxygen availability during seedling germination and growth through the soil.
authors.affiliation: Basic Forestry and Proteomics Center, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, 350002 Fujian, China. Electronic address: zhuqiang@fafu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria. Electronic address: eva.benkova@ist.ac.at.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benková
mesh_terms: D005030:Ethylenes / Q000378:metabolism; D018525:Germination / Q000502:physiology; D008027:Light; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000502:physiology; D036226:Seedlings / Q000254:growth & development*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D005030:Ethylenes; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators; D012987:Soil; C036216:ethylene
keywords: ethylene; germination; hypoxia; light; mechanical stress