Maternal influences on seed mass effect and initial seedling growth in four Quercus species

Bidens pilosa L. is a summer annual that shows a particular phenological pattern in the Córdoba mountains, Argentina. Some individuals start flowering 1 month after germination (early type), but most of the population starts flowering 4 months after germination (normal type). The aims of this study were to (1) analyse whether differences in flowering phenology affect seed mass and seed production, and (2) assess whether possible differences in seed traits of the two parental phenological types would affect germinability, germination rate, seedling growth and flowering phenology of offspring under laboratory conditions. The study showed that the numbers of seeds per capitulum and per plant were greater in the normal type than in the early type plants. This can be related to plant height, since in the field, normal-type plants are larger than early type plants. However, early type plants produced heavier seeds than normal-type plants. Germination rate was faster in the early type seeds, but total germination was higher in the normal ones. Seedling growth, in terms of height and the date of first flowering, did not differ between the phenological types of parental seed sources. Our results showed that differences in flowering phenology were associated with seed mass and seed production differences. Seed mass appears to be related to germination characteristics but not to seedling growth nor to flowering phenology of offspring.

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Growth and Water Use Characteristics of Six Eastern North American Oak (Quercus) Species and the Implications for Urban Forestry

Arboriculture & Urban Forestry ◽

10.48044/jauf.2006.026 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 202-213

Author(s):

Daniel Struve ◽

Petra Sternberg ◽

Nick Drunasky ◽

Kurt Bresko ◽

Rico Gonzalez

Keyword(s):

Growth Factors ◽

Water Use ◽

Seedling Growth ◽

North American ◽

Urban Forestry ◽

Principal Component ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Statistical Technique ◽

Northern Red Oak ◽

Quercus Species

Seedling growth and water use of six North American oak species were studied in a series of four experiments to determine inter- and intraspecies water use characteristics. Xeric-site adapted species (chestnut oak, Q. prinus [L.] and black oak, Q. velutina [Lamb.]) had slower growth (height and dry weight accumulation and lower shoot:root ratios) than mesic-site adapted species (bur oak, Quercus macrocarpus [Michx.]; pin oak, Q. palustris [Muenchh.], northern red oak, Q. rubra [L]; and Shumard oak, Q. shumardii [Buckl.]). Principal component analysis (a statistical technique used to identify correlated variables) using 11 variables found that seedling water use loaded positively with seedling growth factors (taller seedlings tended to have higher dry weights and greater leaf and root areas and used more water than shorter seedlings, which tended to have lower dry weights, smaller leaf, and root areas) in the first principal component. However, in the third experiment, seedling growth factors loaded negatively with seedling water use for Q. prinus. Tall Q. prinus seedlings tended to use less water than short seedlings. However, other measures of water use (g water cm −1height and cm −2leaf and root area) loaded negatively on the first principal component. Correlations between seedling heights and seedling waters use were significant and positive, but great within-species and within half-sib family differences in height-adjusted water use (g water cm −1height) were found. By plotting height-adjusted water use against seedling height, efficient and inefficient water use seedlings could be identified. Inefficient water use seedlings were shorter and had higher water use cm −1height than efficient water use seedlings. Inefficient water use seedlings were described as having a xeric-water use habit, whereas tall seedlings had a mesic-water use habit. Potentially, height-adjusted water use could be used as a method for selecting individual oak seedlings better adapted to stressful urban planting sites.

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Seedling growth analysis of Russian wildrye

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps93-132 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 73 (4) ◽

pp. 1009-1015 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Paul G. Jefferson

Keyword(s):

Seedling Growth ◽

Root Length ◽

Carbon Allocation ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Specific Root Length ◽

Crested Wheatgrass ◽

Breeding Lines ◽

Seedling Growth Rate ◽

Russian Wildrye ◽

High Tillering

Tetracan, a recently released tetraploid cultivar of Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea (Fisch.) Nevski), has larger seed mass and better emergence from seeding depth than diploid cultivars. The objective of this research was to compare the seedling growth of Russian wildrye with crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schultes), Nordan and second to compare Tetracan Russian wildrye with two diploid Russian wildrye cultivars, Mayak and Swift. Seedlings were destructively harvested at 28, 42, 56, and 70 d after planting (DAP) in the greenhouse. Crested wheatgrass had greater seedling biomass in shoot and root, higher tiller number, and a more efficient root system than the Russian wildrye. Tetracan had fewer, larger tillers with larger leaves and greater root length than the two diploid cultivars. These results document that the tetraploid cultivar Tetracan has a different pattern of tiller initiation and growth than the diploid cultivars. Seedling growth rate and biomass yield (seedling vigor) of tetraploid Russian wildrye could be improved through polyploidization with high tillering diploid breeding lines as parents and selection for large tiller size (similar to Tetracan) while maintaining high tillering capacity. Key words: Specific root length, leaf area, tillering, carbon allocation

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Effect of seed position and soil nutrients on seed mass, germination and seedling growth in Peucedanum oreoselinum (Apiaceae)

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-017-02035-1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Jeremi Kołodziejek

Keyword(s):

Soil Nutrients ◽

Seedling Growth ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Seed Position

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Collection Age and Seed Mass Influence Germination and Seedling Growth in Midwestern White Spruce Accessions

Forest Science ◽

10.1093/forsci/fxab038 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Brian M Connolly

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Seedling Growth ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Seed Viability ◽

Germplasm Conservation ◽

White Spruce ◽

Seedling Vigor ◽

Nursery Production ◽

Seedling Growth Rate ◽

Unites States

Abstract Stored tree seed collections are essential resources for seedling production and conserving unique germplasm. As stored seeds age, however, seed viability and seedling vigor can decline. This study tests how age and seed mass correspond to germination dynamics and seedling vigor in four white spruce collections from the upper midwestern Unites States. Using two seedling growth experiments, this study demonstrates that white spruce seeds stored for >30 years have low seed viability and slower seedling growth rates compared with seeds from more recent (≤10 years) white spruce collections. Seed mass also predicted seedling growth rate regardless of collection age, suggesting larger seeds from older collections generate faster growing seedlings. Study Implications: Efficient use of stored tree seeds saves nursery managers time and resources. White spruce is a collection priority, but management needs to know how seed viability and seedling vigor decline during storage. Diminished germination and seedling growth after >30 years in storage suggests older collections are most appropriate for germplasm conservation and underscore the importance of testing stored seed prior to nursery production. For collections stored <10 years, larger seeds germinate more readily than smaller seeds and produce faster growing seedlings. For older collections, seed mass does not correspond with germination, but seedling growth rate positively correlated with seed mass.

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Relationships between Seed Mass, Seed Nutrients, and Seedling Growth in Banksia cunninghamii (Proteaceae)

International Journal of Plant Sciences ◽

10.1086/320133 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 162 (3) ◽

pp. 599-606 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Glenda Vaughton ◽

Mike Ramsey

Keyword(s):

Seedling Growth ◽

Seed Mass

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Effects of provenance, pre-treatment and seeds’ mass on germinability and seedling growth of socio-economically important Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile and Ricinodendron heudelotii (Bail.) Pierre in Benin (West Africa)

10.21203/rs.3.rs-654923/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Guillaume HOUNSOU-DINDIN ◽

Rodrigue Idohou ◽

Marcel T. Donou Hounsode ◽

Aristide C. Adomou ◽

Achille E. Assogbadjo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seedling Growth ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Balanites Aegyptiaca ◽

Basal Diameter ◽

Total Height ◽

Treatment Techniques ◽

Number Of Leaves ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Ricinodendron Heudelotii

Abstract Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile and Ricinodendron heudelotii (Bail.) Pierre are socioeconomically important but endemic species to sub-Saharan Africa. This study was conducted to assess the germination capacity of their seeds and seedling growth according to seed provenance, seed mass and pre-treatment techniques as a contribution to the development of strategies for their conservation and domestication in Benin. The seeds were randomly collected in the species occurrence phytodistricts. A split-split plot design with three replicates was used. The survival analysis and generalized linear mixed effects models were implemented on the data. Findings were that the heaviest seeds ( B. aegyptiaca seed mass ≥ 3 g and R. heudelotii ≥ 1.50 g) , provided the highest germination rates (73.60 ± 5.19% and 62.50 ± 5.71%) with seeds scarified with a hammer first emerging at day-8 and day-10 for B. aegyptiaca and R. heudelotii respectively. For B. aegyptiaca seedlings, the seeds from North Borgou phytodistrict scarified with a hammer and the heaviest seeds showed the highest total height (36.43 ± 1.03 cm), basal diameter (2.84 ± 0.03 mm), the greatest number of leaves (32) and ramifications (1). The heaviest seeds of R. heudelotii showed also the highest total height from the day-28 after sowing (26.73 ± 13.56 cm) until the day-105 (151.97 ± 6.37 cm) and those from Pobe phytodistrict showed the highest basal diameter (12.53 ± 1.47 mm) and the greatest number of leaves (14), with almost no ramification during the trial period. These findings constitute a step towards upscaling the reproducibility of these species for better contribution to economies while serving for restoration plans.

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436 PB 209 VARIATION IN N2 FIXATION AND GROWTH AMONG HALF-SIB FAMILIES OF MAACKIA AMURENSIS

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.29.5.493f ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 493f-493

Author(s):

J. Giridhar ◽

B. Pai ◽

William R. Graves

Keyword(s):

Seedling Growth ◽

N2 Fixation ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Plant Quality ◽

Seedling Production ◽

N Content ◽

Maackia Amurensis ◽

Sib Families

Maackia amurensis Rupr. & Maxim. associates with N2-fixing rhizobia, but variation in N2 fixation among genotypes of this species is not known. We determined the effect of N2 fixation on growth of plants from seven half-sib families known to differ in seed mass and seedling growth when provided N. Seedlings were grown in Leonard jars for 12 weeks in a greenhouse. Mass of control plants provided N and nodule mass on plants inoculated with rhizobia (USDA 4349) and not provided N differed among families. Among plants not provided N, inoculation did not increase dry matter but did reduce chlorosis. Therefore, plant N content also will be discussed as an indicator of efficiency of N2 fixation. Results indicate N2 fixation improves plant quality in low-N soils but will not eliminate the need for N applications during seedling production.

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