Studying the Ecology of Seed Germination and Seedling Emergence of Curly dock (Rumex crispus L.) and Cone Catchfly (Silene conoidea L.)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Abstract

  (Rumex crispus) and cone catchfly (Silene conoidea), experiments were conducted based on RCBD with 3 replications at Research Laboratory of Faculty of Agriculture, Birjand University during autumn 2009 and winter 2010. Experimental treatments were light (Light/Dark and continuous dark), alternating day/night temperatures (10/5, 20/10, 25/15, 30/20 and 35/25 C), salinity stress (0 (Control), 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320 and 640 mM), drought stress (0 (Control), -0.1, -0.2, -0.4, -0.6, -0.8 and -1 MPa), pH (4 to 10) and sowing depth (0 to 4 cm). Results showed that seed germination of Curly dock was unaffected by either light/dark or continuous darkness conditions. Greater than 85% of curly duck seeds germinated over a broad range of alternating day/night tested temperatures under light/dark and continuous dark regimes and its germination completely ceased at 10/5 C. Cone catchfly seeds germinated greater than 70% at alternating temperature regimes equal to or lower than 25/15 C under light/dark and continuous dark regimes, but its germinability was remarkably reduced at temperature regimes warmer than 25/15 C, especially under light/dark conditions. Curly dock and Cone catchfly seeds germinated greater than 85% until the salinity level of 160 mM (NaCl), while their germination percentage at osmotic potential of -0.8 MPa were 60 and 90%, respectively. The average germinability of curly dock and cone catchfly seeds over a pH range of 4 to 10 was 90%. Seed burial significantly reduced curly dock and cone catchfly seedling emergence, so that no seedling emerged from a soil depth deeper than 3 cm and the greatest seedling emergence of curly dock and cone catchfly (98 and 74.7%, respectively) was occurred for seeds placed on the soil surface under 3 layers of filter paper.  

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