Emilio, is this an open project? I would be interested to contribute, if that would be appropriate?

Can You write about this program something more?

I did some digging here in the UK, and Kew have a project on this also - http://www.kew.org/science-research-data/directory/projects/A-Dictionary-of-Fruit-and-Seed-Morphological-Terms.htm

Kew also have a seed information database which holds information about storage qualities, as well as other traits particularly focussing on conservation activities: http://data.kew.org/sid/sidsearch.html

Thanks Jonathan and Agnieszka for your answers. Mariannina for your vote.

I will look in more detail the web pages of Kew that you have suggested, Jonathan. In the meantime let me explain more in detail the project.

You may find here a general description:

https://www.researchgate.net/project/Description_of_seed_shape/

https://www.researchgate.net/project/Description_of_seed_shape/bench/Classification_of_seeds/?ev=proj_det_bnch_img

As you wil see it is divided in four parts:

Seed shape in Arabidopsis

Seed shape in model legumes

Classification of Seeds

Morphological description of seeds

These sections are called “benches”in the terminology of Research Gate. The idea is to collect accurate (geometrical) description of seeds. Then to open a new bench for each group (family, genus,species…) for which a description is made. Benches entitled “Seed shape in Arabidopsis” and “Seed shape in model legumes” are now filled with our recent articles published in Journal of Plant Physiol and open to discussion. You may contribute either discussing these, giving new data with the description of shape in other groups (families, genera, species,…), or suggesting ideas in the benches called Classification of Seeds and Morphological description of seeds.

I believe Agnieszka is already a participant in the project. I could not enter the invitation for Jonathan because the Research Gate platform did not recognize your name (the only Jonathan Moore it recognizes at the moment is in Virginia), but I will try again and in the meantime you may also try by your own. If this does not work in a couple of dayswe may contact the Research Gate Staff.

We will keep in touch

Best regards,

Dear Dr. Emilo...I am also trapped in the same situation like the appropriate terminolgy for the seed shapes...as I AM ALSO WORKING ON THE SEEDS of one of the plant group....if u got something ,,u please suggest me...in the meantime i ll look for something which may helpfull to us...and ll inform u if i ll get something....

Dear Dr Sharma,

Please have a look at our project:

https://www.researchgate.net/project/Description_of_seed_shape/

You are cordially invited to participate....

Dear Dr Emilio,

I am willing to participate in your project of Description of seed shape.

I am based in Nigeria, but I need more details on how i can participate and contribute to the project

Thanks

Dear Dr Adetumbi,

Thanks for your interest. I have added your name to the project. Please have a look at the different sections of it:

https://www.researchgate.net/project/Description_of_seed_shape/

You may also indicate in which species you are interested as well as current descriptions of morphology for these seeds.

Will keep in touch. Regards

Dear Dr Cervantes

I work on seeds from the Mediterranean area, especially endemic species from Sicily. I have lots of data on gross morphology and micromorpholgy too (i.e SEM analysis). If you think that my contribution to your project could be useful, I would appreciate knowing something more

Dear Dr Salmieri,

Thanks for your interest. At the moment the project collects publications, data and questions from individuals or groups that may be interested in this subject. Today Gianfranco Venora added several publications. I could not yet open all of them but i managed to open some in his personal page in Research Gate. I suppose you may know him as well as their publications. Please have a look at the project pages and upload there your articles:

https://www.researchgate.net/project/Description_of_seed_shape/

I will add your name to this project and will keep in contact.

Best regards

On this issue I am a devout "Kelvinist." Lord Kelvin stated that verbal description is "the beginning of knowledge" which is never complete or accurate without measurement -- objective, accurate quantification. Morphometric study, available, accessible and cost-effecdtive, is always superiority in precision and accuracy to nomenclature, although this observation seems to threaten seed specialists. My colleagues and i have a data base of some 2 to 3 million measurements of seed size and shape representing populations of varying sample size from more than 1100 taxa. This required the work of two people and eight weeks, more or less, to assemble and years to realize the importance -- and inadequacy -- of what we created. Nomenclature is a journalistic convenience but it is a very poor basis for systematic analysis.