When seeds are avoided from germinating even under the environmental conditions that are favorable for the germination of seed it is known as seed dormancy.
Complicatedmixture of water, light, temperature, gasses, mechanical restrictions, seed coats, and hormone structures lead to seed dormancy.
Methods for breaking seed dormancy are:
Over-ripening period gets completed.
Inhibitors present in the seed coat get leached.
Supply of cold, heat, and light leading to inactivation of inhibitors.
Production of growth hormones which neutralize the effect of inhibitors.
Seed coat ruptures are prevented by filing, chipping, or threshing of seeds through machines.
Exposure to heat, cold, or light, depending on the type of seed dormancy.
Seed coats are treated with concentrated sulphuric acid to remove all traces of the mineral acid.