Germination Ecology of Lathyrus aphaca, a Problematic Weed of Wheat Crop under Semi-Arid Conditions of Pakistan

Abstract

Lathyrus aphaca is an aggressive dicotyledonous weed. The effect of different agroecological components/factors on the germination ecology of this weed was explored under a glasshouse and laboratory condition in 2014. The germination response of L. aphaca was lower at high temperature while maximum seed germination was found at 15/12 oC (day/night). Light significantly stimulated L. aphaca germination; nevertheless, substantial germination occurred under dark conditions. More than 86-90% of L. aphaca seeds germinated at pH level of 6.2-7.5. A significant quantity of seed germinated at 250 mM NaCl. There was no germination at -1 MPa. When the temperature was lower than 20/15 oC (day/night) initiation time of germination and germination index (GI) decreased but time to 50% germination (T50) and mean germination time (MGT) increased. Darkness resulted in increased time to start germination, T50, MGT and decreased GI in L. aphaca when compared with the 10 and 12 h photoperiods. The pH of 6 and above 7 enhanced germination time, T50, MGT but decreased GI. Salt stress above 100 mM increased time to germination, T50, MGT but reduced GI. Osmotic potential above -0.4 MPa increased initial germination time, T50 and MGT as well as decreased germination index (GI) of L. aphaca. Increased seed depth in soil lowered germination percentage and GI but enhanced initial germination time, T50, MGT. It was concluded that L. aphaca can grow over a wide range of agroecological/environmental conditions. These results may aid the development of agronomic tools and strategies for weed management in arable crops for yield enhancement.

Germination and salinity tolerance of seeds of sixteen Fabaceae species in Thailand for reclamation of salt-affected lands

“…As the toxicity caused by salinity results in a change in metabolomics processes inside the seed, which leads to a longer germination time (Yildirim et al 2011;Benjamin et al 2019). Generally, MGT was longer when salinity levels increased because high salinity results in the lowering of water potential during seed imbibition (Cokkizgin 2012;Aamir et al 2019). High concentration of NaCl causes an osmotic barrier and delays the imbibition stage of germination.…”

β‐amino carbonyl derivatives: Synthesis, Molecular Docking, ADMET, Molecular Dynamic and Herbicidal studies.

“…It germinates from October to November and matures in early April, just ahead of the wheat crops. It scatters its seeds in the field beforehand wheat harvest, expanding the soil weed seed bank and causing problems in the winter crop [11,12] …”

“…It scatters its seeds in the field beforehand wheat harvest, expanding the soil weed seed bank and causing problems in the winter crop. [11,12] Herbicide is a chemical which is used to destroy or slow down the expansion of undesired plants such as weeds and insidious genus in housing and agricultural area. Weeds compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients with other plant kinds.…”