that the lack of germination observed for some of the
genotypes after 27 d of storage (Fig. 3D) was due to remaining
dormancy. The present data confirm earlier observations
(van der Schaar et al., 1997) that the freshly harvested
seeds of commonly used WT strains Ler and Col are
dormant when germination is tested in light, but that this
dormancy has disappeared after approximately 1 month of
after-ripening. However, compared with the Ler and Col
ecotypes, the Ws and En ecotypes are substantially more
dormant. The ttg1 mutant is particularly non-dormant because
it germinates at nearly 100% at 2 d after harvesting of
the seeds. The structural mutants ats and ap2 show a
slightly reduced dormancy, and gl2 is slightly more dormant
than Ler. Dormancy reduction is also expressed by
higher germination rates, which are particularly visible at
9 d after harvest (Fig. 4). Therefore, pigmentation mutants
appear to be more drastically affected in their germination
pattern than structural mutants, in the sense of reduced
seed dormancy and a higher germination rate. They also
exhibit a higher capacity to germinate in darkness