Seedling Evaluation of Native Perennials for Implementing Large-scale Revegetation Projects in Arid Lands

Abstract

Understanding seedling development and germination processes is crucial for the successful planning and execution of revegetation and restoration initiatives on a large scale. Due to shifting environmental conditions, monitoring seed viability, dormancy, and germination success in the wild is challenging. This study seeks to investigate the optimal germination conditions for seedlings from five distinct wild populations of perennial plants commonly used in local restoration and revegetation projects in Kuwait. Kuwait has a desert climate with summer temperatures that can get as high as 46°C and minimal annual precipitation (< 112 mm). Kuwait's dry climate is home to a restricted range of flora, most of which are desert shrubs that have adapted to the severe weather. Among the well-known perennials studied at The Public Authority of Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAF) nurseries in Kuwait were Rhanterium epapposum, Farsetia aegyptia, Calligonum comosum, Panicum turgidum, and Pennisetum divisum. In a controlled greenhouse setting, seedling germination experiments were conducted under consistent environmental conditions. The seeds were obtained from well-developed mother plants, washed, thoroughly dried, and stored in a cold, dry environment without undergoing any dormancy-breaking treatments. As a result, all five species were able to exhibit a high rate of germination, and the proportion of seedlings that emerged between 37 and 55 days ranged from 78.2 % for Pennisetum divisum producing the fewest seedlings, while Farsetia aegyptia produced the most 95.4%. This study provides essential information to land restoration managers for them to implement appropriate strategies and achieve good results for large-scale revegetation projects. However, to determine seedling growth and establishment in revegetated sites, an active ecological monitoring technique is required.