Table of Contents

About the Editor,, Contributors,, SECTION I: SEED DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY,, Chapter 1. Molecular Control of Ovule Development (Sureshkumar Balasubramanian and Kay Schneitz),, Introduction,, What Are Ovules?,, Emergence of the Ovule As a Model to Study Organogenesis,, Ovule Specification,, Initiation/Outgrowth of the Ovule Primordia,, Pattern Formation,, Cell-Cell Communication During Ovule Development,, Morphogenesis,, Perspectives ,, Chapter 2. Female Gametophyte Development (Wei-Cai Yang),, Introduction,, Organization of the Female Gametophyte,, Archesporial Cell Formation,, Megasporogenesis,, Formation of the Functional Megaspore,, Megagametogenesis,, The Female Germ Unit,, Genetic Control of Megagametophyte Development,, Conclusions and Perspectives,, Chapter 3. Cytokinins and Seed Development (Neil Emery and Craig Atkins),, Introduction,, Cytokinin Biosynthesis in Plants,, Discovery and Characterization of CKs in Developing Seeds,, Sources of Cytokinin in Seeds,, Developing Seeds: A Rich Mine of Cytokinin Enzymes,, Biological Activity of Cytokinin in Developing Seeds,, Can CK Content Be Manipulated to Alter Grain Development?,, Molecular Basis of a Signaling Role for Cytokinins,, Future Prospects,, Chapter 4. Grain Number Determination in Major Grain Crops (Gustavo A. Slafer, Fernanda G. González, Adriana G. Kantolic, Elena M. Whitechurch, L. Gabriela Abeledo, Daniel J. Miralles, and Roxana Savin),, Introduction,, Grain Number Determination,, Extrapolations to Other Major