Seed germination, salt stress tolerance and seedling growth of Opuntia ficus - indica (Cactaceae), invasive species in the Mediterranean Basin

Podda, Lina; Santo, Andrea; Leone, Carlo Antonio; García-Berlanga, Olga Mayoral; Bacchetta, Gianluigi

doi:10.1016/j.flora.2017.02.002

Cited by 36 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 39 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…(Fig. 13) showed their ability to germinate also at high NaCl concentrations (500 mM) (Bacchetta et al 2010;Podda et al 2015Podda et al , 2017Podda et al , 2018. Other invasive species show less tolerance to high salt concentrations, such as Acacia saligna (Labill.)…”

Section: Germination Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Seeds of several IAS (C. edulis, L. ferocissimum, N. glauca, O. ficus-indica, S. elaeagnifolium) after treatment with different salinity levels recovered their germination following transfer to distilled water, and different responses were obtained from the species. L. ferocissimum, N. glauca, and O. ficus-indica showed a low recovery capacity and secondary dormancy mostly in L. ferocissimum and O. ficusindica (Podda et al 2015(Podda et al , 2017. S. elaeagnifolium responded to the recovery, but only with alternating temperature regime (25/10°C) did the seeds resume, even if they germinated at percentage much lower than seeds tested without salt stress (Podda et al 2015).…”

Section: Germination Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The behavior of these species shows that they are not typical species of the Mediterranean climate, but species adapted to the warmer temperatures of the Mediterranean climate and to the high salinity of the coastal areas. O. ficus-indica and L. ferocissimum may be considered adapted to tolerate high levels of stress in arid and dry areas, similar to its regions of origin (Podda et al 2017).…”

Section: Germination Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Invasive Alien Flora on Coastal Mediterranean Habitats

García-Berlanga¹,

Podda²,

Porceddu³

2020

Handbook of Halophytes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Mediterranean Basin is one of the biodiversity mega-hotspots of biodiversity, but it is also considered as one of the most disturbed areas, due to a legendary human occupation, mostly concentrated in coastal areas. These factors, together with a mild climate, explain the high impact of invasive alien plants in the Mediterranean coastline. The habitats subjected to saline influence are especially interesting and have been widely studied as species living there have developed, along evolution, special adaptations that make them unique and very valuable. This study aims to present how alien plant species behave when becoming invasive in coastal habitats of the Mediterranean Basin. Some alien invasive species outstand for their specificity regarding the habitat and pose a major challenge for environmental managers. Coming to understand their behavior can help to mitigate their impact and prepare for future invasions. The document focuses on making a comprehensive characterization, with special emphasis on germination behavior of this flora, that has become one of the most important threats for biodiversity in the Mediterranean context.

show abstract

Section: Germination Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Germination Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Germination Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Invasive Alien Flora on Coastal Mediterranean Habitats

García-Berlanga¹,

Podda²,

Porceddu³

2020

Handbook of Halophytes

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Four replicates of 25 seeds each were used for each treatment. Petri dishes were sealed with parafilm (Brand parafilm, Sigma-Aldrich, UK) to minimize the evaporation of water from the dishes and external contaminations (Podda et al 2017). Germination tests were conducted in 9-cm tight-fitting Petri dishes containing three discs of Whatman no.…”

Section: Germination Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does perianth colour affect the seed germination of two desert shrubs under different storage periods and conditions?

Bhatt

Santo

2018

Nordic Journal of Botany

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Haloxylon salicornicum and Salsola vermiculata (Amaranthaceae) are two perennial shrubs producing fruits with differently coloured perianths (yellow vs pink) on separate individuals. To test the impact of different storage periods (four, eight and twelve months) and temperature conditions (freezing, room temperature and natural field temperatures) on the seed germination of the two seed categories, germination tests were carried out on both species. For both species, collected from wild plants in the Arabian desert (Qatar), seed germination was tested under two photoperiods (light 12/12; dark 24 hours) at 20/30°C for winged (intact) and de‐winged seeds. For each species, all the considered factors (perianth colour, wing presence, photoperiod, storage period and storage conditions) had significant effects on seed germination (p < 0.001), while the interactions among factors varied in their level of significance depending on the species. In both species, yellow seeds germinated considerably better than the pink ones, the presence of wings slowed the germination, and both storage period and temperature conditions highly influenced their germination ability. Our results indicate that seeds from different perianth colours have different germination strategies to delay their germination and distribute the species through time by escaping germination time by imposing some kind of after‐ripening or seed dormancy. The variation in storage time and storage conditions might help in extending their germination period, where one set of seeds germinate immediately, and the other set of seeds becomes dormant and thus contributes to the formation of a soil seed bank for the long‐term recruitment of seedlings. This study highlights an ecological advantageous strategy for these two species growing in the unpredictable desert habitat.

show abstract

“…Salinity levels in soil has been also defined as one of the most important variables influencing seed dormancy and germination of desert plants (Khan and Ungar 1996). Previous studies reported that the tolerance of halophytic grasses to salinity is species-specific and varies with the ecotype, habitat of provenance, and in relation to specific environmental factors (Gulzar et al 2003b;Podda et al 2017). Different studies have shown that the interactions between the parental plants and environmental conditions during seed development and maturation can affect seed dormancy and consequently the germination process (Fenner 1991b;Wulff 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of light, temperature, salinity, and maternal habitat on seed germination of Aeluropus lagopoides (Poaceae): an economically important halophyte of arid Arabian deserts

Bhatt

Gairola

Carón

et al. 2020

Botany

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, salt tolerance during germination of Aeluropus lagopoides (L.) Trin. was tested using fresh seeds collected from three different maternal habitats under three thermoperiods and two light regimes. Additionally, we tested the ability of non-germinated seeds that had been exposed to different concentrations of NaCl to recover their germination in distilled water. The results showed a significant effect of seed source, temperature, and salinity, and some of their two- and three-way interactions on final germination and recovery percentage. The seeds from non-saline provenances had the highest percentages for germination (ca. 79%) under the 35/25 °C temperature regime, whereas the lowest percentages for germination (ca. 21%) was recorded for seeds from saline conditions under the 25/15 °C treatment. Additionally, percent germination was significantly lower for the seeds incubated in the saline solutions (100, 200, 400, and 600 mmol/L NaCl) and germinated under colder conditions (15/25 °C), compared with the seeds incubated in non-saline solutions (control group, 0 mmol/L NaCl) and germinated under warmer conditions (35/25 °C). The highest recovery percentage was recorded for seeds of the hyper-saline habitat incubated at 35/25 °C. Thus, seeds maintained their viability despite experiencing a range of saline conditions and were able to germinate upon the arrival of suitable conditions, which can be an adaptation to its saline arid desert habitat.

show abstract

Seed germination, salt stress tolerance and seedling growth of Opuntia ficus - indica (Cactaceae), invasive species in the Mediterranean Basin

Cited by 36 publications

References 39 publications

Invasive Alien Flora on Coastal Mediterranean Habitats

Invasive Alien Flora on Coastal Mediterranean Habitats

Does perianth colour affect the seed germination of two desert shrubs under different storage periods and conditions?

Effects of light, temperature, salinity, and maternal habitat on seed germination of Aeluropus lagopoides (Poaceae): an economically important halophyte of arid Arabian deserts

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About