Yield, quality and seed metabolism

In addition to carbon and nutrient assimilation, yield also depends on the performance to generate high-quality seeds, and also on the ability of seedlings to germinate and finalise proper establishment. There is now considerable literature on genetic and morphological aspects of seed and seedling quality but surprisingly, metabolic aspects are relatively less documented. Our aim is to identify and assess metabolic biomarkers, not only based on metabolomics but also natural stable isotope abundance (see here for an example on grain isotope signature).