Primary energy storage in plant seeds

Why are seed supplies important?

During seed development, storage compounds containing carbohydrates, storage proteins, and lipids are synthesized. These storage reserves provide about 70% of the energy intake derived from food and animal feed. Seed supplies provide an important agriculture source with regard to economic development and guarantee global food security.

What are the storage compounds of seeds?

Storage compounds of seeds are primarily comprised of sugars, proteins and lipids, and the distribution of these metabolites varies depending on the developmental program of each species. The composition and relative amount of these storage compounds have been quantified in different seed tissues of many species (Table 1).

Why do seeds need to be stored in storage tissues?

In endospermous seeds, such as those of cereals, mobilization of the major reserves within seed storage tissues occurs only during germination, to provide the growing seedling with nutrients until it becomes autotrophic (Bewley et al. 2013).

What are plant seeds made of?

Plant seeds are comprised of an endosperm, embryo, and a pericarp all of which are vital to seedling development. During seed development, storage compounds containing carbohydrates, storage proteins, and lipids are synthesized. These storage reserves provide about 70% of the energy intake derived from food and animal feed.

What are the main nutrients found in seeds?

Keywords: Carbohydrates; Carbon partitioning; Seed biodiversity; Seed development; Seed storage composition; Source-sink ratios; Starch; Sucrose. Seeds are one of the most important food sources, providing humans and animals with essential nutrients. These nutrients include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins and minerals.

How is seed storage protein regulated?

During the grain-filling and maturation phases, seed storage protein (SSP)-encoding genes are specifically induced and regulated by a complex genetic network (McCarty, 1995; Li and Song, 2020). SSP accumulates in either the embryo or endosperm, depending on different plant species.