Although seeds can be stored as soon as they have become desiccation-tolerant, seed longevity in subsequent air-dry storage does not reach its maximum until some time later, during the desiccation phase of seed development (Ellis et al., 1993; Kameswara Rao and Jackson, 1996 a, b ; Hay and Smith, 2003; Ellis, 2011).
Their poor seed germination and storability record in the Millennium Seed Bank may be due to failure of a large proportion of seeds to complete maturation in planta and therefore become fully desiccation tolerant at the time of seed collection (shedding), especially in G. nivalis (Fig. 3).
Louse feces, in turn, could become aerosolized through desiccation and dispersal, potentially increasing possibilities for spread of this infection; however, this route of transmission currently is anecdotal.
With rapid desiccation, the resultant smaller aerosols can remain airborne longer, while larger aerosols may initially fall out and then become re-suspended after desiccation.
Fears about desertification and desiccation became pronounced in India and Africa in the 1930s because of concerns raised by droughts during the Depression (Saberwal 1998; Beinart 2003).
Instead, the stress-resistance phenotypes of the Deinococcus lineage appear to have evolved progressively by accumulation of cell-cleaning systems which eliminate organic and inorganic cell components that become toxic under radiation or desiccation [12], [23], [46], [92].
Furthermore, seeds of fus3, abi3 and lec1 mutants are also desiccation intolerant and become inviable when dry [ 5- 11].
During this desiccation phase, seeds become hygroscopic, i.e. their moisture status is now independent of the parent plant and instead is determined by ambient conditions (Ellis and Hong, 1994).
Finally, in the late maturation stage, which is also known as the desiccation stage, embryos gradually become metabolically quiescent, with the exception that they synthesize sugars such as sucrose and trehalose to maintain their integrity during the desiccation processes [ 31, 32].
As −P progresses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L ., the oldest leaves become chlorotic and show signs of desiccation [ 2].
Desiccation also causes cell membranes to become leaky [ 22, 23], thus removing an important physical barrier to exogenous DNA uptake.
