"The aim of the proposed project is to enhance the global understanding of seed longevity. The survival of organisms in the dry state is intriguing researchers since van Leuvenhoek first observed this behaviour in rotifers in the 17th century. Many plant seeds and pollen also possess this ability. Desiccation-tolerant seeds can survive in the dry state for longer time spans ranging from years to decades or even centuries. Seed longevity is an important economical and ecological factor. So far, several molecules have been identified that play a role in seed longevity. These are mainly related to protection against oxidative stress. The main aim of the proposed project is gain a global overview about the genes involved in seed longevity through transcript profiling. Two genotypes of the model legume Medicago truncatula with contrasting seed longevities will be used for this purpose. No similar approach has been published yet; therefore this research will help to get detailed information about the variety of mechanisms that are important for the longevity of seeds. This basic understanding can be of interest for seed bank programs (like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway), which aim at conserving genetic variability of plants for future generations, to improve the shelf-life of stored seeds. The second part of the project focuses on the finding of robust indicators for seed longevity. In a large population of Medicago varieties, single nucleotide changes in candidate genes (from the transcript profiling approach) will be analyzed for their possible impact on seed longevity. EcoTILLING, a modern approach to detect these changes, will be used for this purpose. It will give evidence if the candidate genes have an influence on the seed longevity in different Medicago varieties. In the future, the information could be used to develop molecular markers for seed longevity, which will be useful for breeding purposes, especially in closely related legume crops like soya."