Factors affecting seed germination and emergence of Aegilops tauschii

Abstract

Information on seed germination and emergence ecology of Aegilops tauschii is scant, despite it being a widespread invasive weed in China. We conducted this study to determine the effects of various factors on seed germination and seedling emergence in three A. tauschii populations. Seeds germinated across a wide range of temperatures (5–35°C), with germination of over 90% at 15–20°C. Germination was completely inhibited when dry seeds were exposed to a temperature of 160°C for 5 min; a similar response was observed for pre‐soaked seeds at 100°C. Light was neither required for nor inhibited germination. Germination was not significantly affected by pH. Aegilops tauschii was relatively tolerant to low osmotic potential and high salt stress: over 80% of seeds germinated at −0.3 MPa, and all three populations germinated in the presence of 400 mM salt (NaCl) although salt tolerance varied among the populations. Seeds buried at depths of 1–3 cm emerged well, but emergence was completely inhibited at depths greater than 8 cm. The addition of maize straw caused a linear reduction in seedling emergence, although the rate of reduction varied among the populations. The results of this study have contributed to understanding the requirements of A. tauschii germination and emergence and optimising an integrated management system for this weed in Huang–Huai–Hai Plain of China. In addition, our study provides data for development of models to predict the geographical distribution of this weed.

Using Halothermal Time Model to Describe Barley (Hordeumvulgare L.) Seed Germination Response to Water Potential and Temperature

“…In comparison with control (0 MPa), the minimum germination was reported at 40 • C under −2.0 MPa, while the maximum was reported at 20 • C under −0.5 MPa, indicating that GP decreased as T decreased (Figure 1a-f). These findings are in agreement with the previous studies that have indicated that temperature is a critical factor that negatively impacts seed germination by influencing the GP and GR in a wide range of plant species [16,18,57]. In the present study, GP increased with the accelerated aging period (AAP) and significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased with high temperature.…”

“…Further, the θH values increased with an increase in cardinal Ts up to T o and then linearly decreased with a decrease in T > T o . Previous studies have also demonstrated that the values of θH have increased at suboptimal temperatures for potato [57] and watermelon [12,40].…”

Using mathematical models to evaluate germination rate and seedlings length of chickpea seed (Cicer arietinum L.) to osmotic stress at cardinal temperatures

“…Among these abiotic factors, T is one of the devastating stress affecting seed germinations in several plants [ 31 , 32 ]. Stress related to water ( ѱ) is also major environmental factor limiting early seedling and seed germination [ 33 , 34 ]. Our results also demonstrated that seed germination was significantly affected by T and water stress ( ѱ ).…”

Roles of Reactive Oxygen Species and Mitochondria in Seed Germination

“…Seed germination is crucial for uniform and maximum crop production ( Carrera-Castaño et al, 2020 ), and the optimization of intrinsic and extrinsic factors is very important for promoting the transition from dormancy to germination ( Figure 1 ) ( Wang et al, 2020 ). The dormancy level of commercial crop varieties is typically lower than that of their wild relatives, as this helps to achieve maximum production.…”