Silphium perfoliatum L. (cup plant, silphie) and S. integrifolium Michx. (rosinweed, silflower) are in the same subfamily and tribe as sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). Silphium perfoliatum has been grown in many countries as a forage or bioenergy crop with forage quality approaching that of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and biomass yield close to maize (Zea mays L.) in some environments. Silphium integrifolium has large seeds with taste and oil quality similar to traditional oilseed sunflower. Silphium species are all long‐lived, diploid perennials. Crops from this genus could improve the yield stability, soil, and biodiversity of agricultural landscapes because, in their wild state, they are deep rooted and support a wide diversity of pollinators. In contrast with premodern domestication, de novo domestication should be intentional and scientific. We have the luxury and obligation at this moment in history to expand the domestication ideotype from food and energy production to include (i) crop‐driven ecosystem services important for sustainability, (ii) genetic diversity to enable breeding progress for centuries, (iii) natural adaptations and microbiome associations conferring resource use efficiency and stress tolerance, and (iv) improving domestication theory itself by monitoring genetic and ecophysiological changes from predomestication baselines. Achieving these goals rapidly will require the use of next‐generation sequencing for marker development and an international, interdisciplinary team committed to collaboration and strategic planning.
SummarySilphium perfoliatum L. is a perennial and flowering crop that has been investigated in recent years for its potential as an energy plant, particularly for biogas production. A stand establishment by sowing of seeds is complicated, owing to the low germination capacity of untreated S. perfoliatum L. seeds. Consequently, germination experiments were carried out with two-to four-factor levels to determine the effect of selected factors (medium, pretreatment, light, temperature, prechilling) on dormancy and germination of S. perfoliatum L. seeds and to achieve maximum germination rate. All factors had a highly significant effect on germination. Germination experiments displayed a primary and physiological dormancy. Germination could be significantly increased by using a 0.05% GA 3 solution during the imbibition phase, a light-dark cycle, alternating temperatures between 20°C and 30°C, and a wet stratification for seven days at 0°C. The experiments helped to fully exploit the germination potential and to develop a germination test method for S. perfoliatum L.Keywords: bioenergy, cup plant, dormancy, seed production, seed treatment
ZusammenfassungSilphium perfoliatum L. ist eine ausdauernde und blühende Pflanze, die in den letzten Jahren hinsichtlich ihres Potentials als Energiepflanze für die Biogasproduktion untersucht wurde. Eine gesicherte Bestandesbegründung mittels Saat ist aufgrund der geringen Keimfähigkeit von unbehandelten S. perfoliatum L.-Samen schwierig. Folglich wurden Keimversuche mit zwei bis vier Faktorstufen durchgeführt, um die Wirkung ausgewählter Faktoren (Medium, Vorbehandlung, Licht, Temperatur, Vorkühlung) auf die Dormanz und die Keimung von S. perfoliatum L.-Samen zu bestimmen und die maximale Keimfähigkeit zu erreichen. Alle untersuchten Faktoren hatten einen signifikanten Effekt auf die Keimung. Die Keimfähigkeitsversuche ergaben eine primäre und physiologische Dormanz. Die Keimfähigkeit wurde durch den Einsatz einer 0,05% GA 3 -Lösung während der Quellungsphase, eines Licht-und Dunkelwechsels, einer alternierenden Temperatur zwischen 20 und 30°C und einer nassen Stratifikation von sieben Tagen bei 0°C signifikant erhöht. Damit wurde das Keimfähigkeitspotential ausgeschöpft und eine Keimfähigkeitsprüfmethode für S. perfoliatum L. entwickelt.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.