Breaking seed dormancy in Cupressus atlantica Gaussen, an endemic and threatened coniferous tree in Morocco

Youssef, Sfairi; Ouahmane, Lahcen; Abbad, Abdelaziz

doi:10.1007/s11676-012-0274-0

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Physical and mechanical dormancy is the most common inhibitor of germination in many species. Threatened tree species such as Cupressus atlantica (Youssef et al 2012), Elaeocarpus blascoi Weibel (Ramasubbu and Irudhyaraj 2016) and Intsia bijuga (Colebr.) Kuntze (Thaman et al 2006) exhibit exogenous dormancy where the hard seed coats inhibit water penetration that is required for embryo growth and development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed dormancy, germination and seedling characteristics of Elaeocarpus prunifolius Wall. ex Müll. Berol.: a threatened tree species of north-eastern India

Iralu

Upadhaya

2018

N.Z. j. of For. Sci.

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Background: Elaeocarpus prunifolius Wall. ex Müll. Berol. is a threatened tree species of northeastern India. The present study was undertaken to investigate the type of dormancy prevailing in seeds of E. prunifolius, explore seed dormancy breaking techniques and assess seedling fitness. Methods: Ripe fruits of E. prunifolius were harvested from Jaintia hills, and seeds were subjected to various physical, manual and chemical treatments. The effect of plant growth regulators, viz gibberellic acid (GA 3) and potassium nitrate (KNO 3), were tested. Seedling vigour and survival based on seed weight were examined. Results: Germination took 6 months to initiate after seed dispersal and natural germination percentage of fresh seeds was 24%. Physical pre-germination treatments such as surface and acid scarification failed to overcome dormancy. Cracked seeds promoted germination (46%) with a mean germination time of 146 days (time to 50% germination, T 50 = 144 days). Among the GA 3 treatments, split seeds treated with GA 3 (3000 mg/L −1) yielded the highest germination (24%) with a T 50 of 55 days whereas KNO 3 did not promote germination. A combination of GA 3 and KNO 3 , however, increased the germination to 31%. Between the seed weight classes, the highest percentage of germination was observed in heavy seeds (25%) and the lowest in light seeds (20%). There was no significant variation between seed weight and germination time (p > 0.05). Seed weight had a significant effect on the shoot height, number of leaves and dry weight of seedlings (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the seed tests, E. prunifolius seeds exhibits 'combined' dormancy (physical and physiological) as splitting seed coat and application of GA 3 effectively broke dormancy. Splitting the seed coat is a cost-effective method for accelerating germination of seeds. Heavyweight seeds produced better performing seedlings compared to their counterparts which may be viewed as an important reproductive strategy of the species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed dormancy, germination and seedling characteristics of Elaeocarpus prunifolius Wall. ex Müll. Berol.: a threatened tree species of north-eastern India

Iralu

Upadhaya

2018

N.Z. j. of For. Sci.

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“…Overgrazing negatively affects the natural regeneration of the species. Natural regeneration is also limited due to the high degree of soil erosion and physical dormancy caused by a hard seed coat (Sfairi et al 2012). Additionally, in most of the populations, senile individuals prevail, which probably also decreases the species reproductive abilities.…”

Section: Species Distribution Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several breeding and planting programmes for C. atlantica have been undertaken; however, initial observations have shown that success rates remain low (El Alaoui El Fels et al 2017). For that reason, some efforts have been made to improve the natural regeneration and germination of C. atlantica (Sfairi et al 2012;El Alaoui El Fels et al 2017). For example, the use of mycorrhizal inoculation of seedlings and nurse plants of C. atlantica has been considered for the reforestation of degraded areas (Birouk et al 1996;Ouahmane et al 2007;Sfairi et al 2012;Arjouni et al 2013;Hafidi et al 2013).…”

Section: Conservation Implicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

High genetic diversity and low future habitat suitability: will Cupressus atlantica, endemic to the High Atlas, survive under climate change?

et al. 2020

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Cupressus atlantica is a narrow endemic species of semi-arid and sub-humid habitats in the western High Atlas, Morocco. We explored the possible dynamics of the species’ range under climatic changes using species distribution modelling (SDM) to identify populations vulnerable to range changes. Additionally, we investigated the spatial genetic structure (SGS), the effective population size and genetic connectivity in natural populations, which may provide important data on demo-genetic processes and support the conservation management of this critically endangered species. The SDM results showed that the current species range constitutes only 49% of the potential distribution. Under the most pessimistic scenarios (RCP6.0 and RCP8.5), a significant reduction in the species range was predicted. However, the projection based on RPC4.5 revealed possible extensions of the habitats suitable for C. atlantica. Potentially, these areas could serve as new habitats that could be used with the assisted migration approach aiming to mitigate the current fragmentation. In terms of the SGS, significant and positive aggregation of relatives was detected up to ca. 100 m. In comparison to other fragmented and endemic species, the detected SGS was weak (Sp = 0.0112). The estimated level of recent gene flow was considerable, which likely prevented a strong SGS and allowed diversity to accumulate (HE = 0.894). The most alarming results concern the effective population size, which was very low in the studied populations (< 53), suggesting a possible increase in inbreeding and loss of diversity in the near future. More effective conservation actions integrating in situ and ex situ measures should be undertaken to prevent extirpation of the species.

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“…This figure is likely to rise as flowering and fruiting occur in Morocco three times a year, in the spring, summer, and fall [27]. Estimates of N. glauca seed production are hazy based on observations from various sources [43]. For instance, adults in the Canary Islands can produce between 10,000 and 1,000,000 seeds per year [33], while in Brazil, Fabricante et al [44] noticed an average of 2121 ± 940 fruits per plant and 644 ± 50 seeds per fruit, i.e., 700,000 to 2,100,000 seeds per plant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Interactions in the Exotic Plant Nicotiana glauca Graham for Enhanced Soil Fertility and Alleviation of Metal Pollution

et al. 2023

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The harm that invasive species cause to the environment has received a lot of attention. It is therefore appropriate that the current research was undertaken to evaluate the effects of invasion by Nicotiana glauca Graham on soil fertility by looking at (i) its contribution to the mycorrhizal potential of the soil, (ii) its impact on soil richness and diversity in terms of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) community (iii), and its ability to modify the physicochemical characteristics in the invaded soil, specifically cleaning up heavy metal. The current study was conducted at Al Houz plain (Marrakesh region, Morocco), in heavily infested sites by N. glauca. The spores of AMF were isolated using the wet sieving process; the isolated spores were sorted for morphological features using a binocular microscope. The plant roots were thinned and colored before microscopic observation. The most probable number method was used to assess mycorrhizal soil infectivity. Heavy metal contamination in soils was characterized using an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, and the pollution load index (PLI) was utilized to assess and compare the level of heavy metal contamination at each station. The ability of N. glauca to reproduce was evaluated in order to support one of its invasive characteristics. The estimate indicated that each plant might produce more than three million seeds. This significant number guarantees the plant a great capacity for reproduction and invasion. The extra-significant mycorrhizal potential, which can take the form of spores, mycelium, or vesicles that can regenerate mycorrhizae, was discovered by conducting soil analysis in the rhizospheric soils of N. glauca. This research demonstrated the strong mycotrophic capability of N. glauca and the large mycorrhizal potential of soils. Between 4.85 and 305.5 mycorrhizal propagules were considered to be the most probable number (MPN) per 100 g of dry soil. Based on color, shape and size, AMF were classified into five morphotypes corresponding to five genera. The isolated taxa of AMF with the most diverse spores were Glomus, Rhizophagus, Paraglomus, Scutellospora, and Sclerocystis. The Glomus genus was found to have spores in significant quantity. Furthermore, N. glauca demonstrated a potential involvement in the phytoremediation of damaged soils, with a high pollution load index demonstrating a particularly high accumulation of heavy metals. N. glauca is a highly mycotrophic plant that can boost soil mycorrhizal propagule stock. N. glauca has also been demonstrated to be a phytoremediation plant capable of cleansing contaminated soils. As a result, N. glauca could be considered as a prospective candidate for application in phytoremediation of polluted soils.

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Breaking seed dormancy in Cupressus atlantica Gaussen, an endemic and threatened coniferous tree in Morocco

Cited by 15 publications

References 26 publications

Seed dormancy, germination and seedling characteristics of Elaeocarpus prunifolius Wall. ex Müll. Berol.: a threatened tree species of north-eastern India

Seed dormancy, germination and seedling characteristics of Elaeocarpus prunifolius Wall. ex Müll. Berol.: a threatened tree species of north-eastern India

High genetic diversity and low future habitat suitability: will Cupressus atlantica, endemic to the High Atlas, survive under climate change?

Unraveling Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Interactions in the Exotic Plant Nicotiana glauca Graham for Enhanced Soil Fertility and Alleviation of Metal Pollution

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