How do seed and seedling traits influence germination and emergence parameters in crop species? A comparative analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Gardarin ◽  
Françoise Coste ◽  
Marie-Hélène Wagner ◽  
Carolyne Dürr
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Elongation Rate ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Base Temperature ◽  
Plant Establishment ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Seedling Traits ◽  
Emergence Success

AbstractEarly plant establishment through seed germination and seedling emergence is a crucial process that determines seedling number, emergence time distribution and the early growth of seedlings, all of which are affected by soil climate and soil structure. In the current context of climate change, in which increasing the diversity of cultivated species is considered desirable, and new tillage practices are considerably modifying top-soil surface characteristics, we need to improve our ability to model the effects of the environment on plant establishment. Using a trait-based and model-based framework, we aimed to identify general relationships between seed and seedling traits (e.g. seed mass and lipid content, seedling diameter, base temperature) and germination and emergence model parameters (e.g. time to mid-germination, shoot elongation rate) measured for 18 genotypes belonging to 14 species. Relationships were also investigated among model parameters or traits. Germination rates were faster for species with a high base temperature and for species with seed reserves located principally in the embryo (rather than the endosperm or perisperm). During heterotrophic growth, maximal shoot length and elongation rate increased with seed dry mass. The sensitivity of seedlings to soil obstacles was negatively related to shoot diameter. Thus apart from the known effects of seed mass on seedling establishment, we found that seed reserve location, seedling shoot diameter and shape affected germination rate and emergence success. Such generic rules linking plant traits to germination and emergence parameters enhance our understanding of the determinants of environmental effects on plant establishment success.

Seed mass, seed production, germination and seedling traits in two phenological types of Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae)

2004 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego E. Gurvich ◽  
Lucas Enrico ◽  
Guillermo Funes ◽  
Marcelo R. Zak
Keyword(s):  
Seed Production ◽  
Seedling Growth ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Flowering Phenology ◽  
Early Type ◽  
Normal Type ◽  
Bidens Pilosa ◽  
Seedling Traits ◽  
Seed Sources

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.

scholarly journals Polyploidy but Not Range Size Is Associated With Seed and Seedling Traits That Affect Performance of Pomaderris Species

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason C. S. Chan ◽  
Mark K. J. Ooi ◽  
Lydia K. Guja
Keyword(s):  
Seed Size ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Seedling Traits ◽  
Threat Status ◽  
Fire Environment ◽  
Regeneration Phase ◽  
In Fire

Ploidy and species range size or threat status have been linked to variation in phenotypic and phenological seed and seedling traits, including seed size, germination rate (speed) and seedling stature. There is surprisingly little known about the ecological outcomes of relationships between ploidy, key plant traits and the drivers of range size. Here we determined whether ploidy and range size in Pomaderris, a genus of shrubs that includes many threatened species, are associated with variation in seed and seedling traits that might limit the regeneration performance of obligate seeders in fire-prone systems. We experimentally quantified seed dormancy and germination processes using fire-related heat treatments and evaluated seedling performance under drought stress. We also examined the association of seed size with other seed and seedling traits. Polyploids had bigger seeds, a faster germination rate and larger and taller seedlings than diploids. There was a lack of any clear relationship between range size and seed or seedling traits. The ploidy effects observed for many traits are likely to be indirect and associated with the underlying seed size differences. These findings indicate that there is a higher potential competitive advantage in polyploid than diploid Pomaderris during regeneration, a critical stage in the post-fire environment. This insight to the regeneration phase may need to be considered when planning and prioritising management of threatened species.

Are seed mass and seedling size and shape related to altitude? Evidence in Gymnocalycium monvillei (Cactaceae)

Botany ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (8) ◽  
pp. 529-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Bauk ◽  
Reyes Pérez-Sánchez ◽  
Sebastián R. Zeballos ◽  
M. Laura Las Peñas ◽  
Joel Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Altitudinal Distribution ◽  
Seedling Morphology ◽  
Seedling Size ◽  
Size And Shape ◽  
Seedling Traits ◽  
Species Response

Several studies reported a negative relationship between altitude and seed mass. In cactus species, seed mass has been also related to seedling morphology (size and shape). Here we studied Gymnocalycium monvillei (Lem.) Pfeiff. ex Britton & Rose, a cactus species with a wide altitudinal distribution, with the main aim of analyzing how altitude affects seed mass and seedling size (height and width) and shape (globose or columnar). We collected seeds from five sites along the entire altitudinal distribution of the species in the Córdoba Mountains (sites were located between 878 and 2230 m a.s.l.), encompassing a marked climatic gradient (6 °C of mean annual temperature difference between the extreme sites). Seed mass and seedling traits were measured in the laboratory. Seedling height increased with altitude, whereas seed mass was not related to this parameter. Seedlings became more globose (reduced surface/volume ratio) with decreasing altitude. Variation in seedling shape along the altitudinal gradient may be related to the contrasting climatic conditions to which seedlings are exposed, and could account for the wide altitudinal distribution of G. monvillei. Our results highlight the importance of seedling traits in the species’ response to climatic change.

ENHANCING SEED GERMINATION OF FOUR CROP SPECIES USING AN ULTRASONIC TECHNIQUE

2010 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. GOUSSOUS ◽  
N. H. SAMARAH ◽  
A. M. ALQUDAH ◽  
M. O. OTHMAN
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Treatment Duration ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Germination Percentage ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Maximum Increase ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
The Us ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Parallel Tests

SUMMARYA laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effect of ultrasound (US) treatment on seed germination of chickpea, wheat, pepper and watermelon. All tests were carried out at 40 kHz in a water bath ultrasonic device varying two factors, treatment duration (5, 10, 15, 30, 45 or 60 min) and germination temperature (15 or 20 °C). Parallel tests were run in which seeds were soaked in water without sonication in order to eliminate the effect of water from US test results. The effects of US on seed germination varied between crops and were more obvious on germination speed, expressed as germination rate index (GRI), rather than on germination percentage (GP). In particular, US treatment significantly increased the GRI of chickpeas, wheat and watermelon, resulting in a maximum increase of 133% (at 45 min), 95% (30 min) and 45% (5 min), respectively, above control seeds. The beneficial effects of US on the GRI of these crops were observed at both 15 and 20 °C, suggesting that US treatment offers a practical priming method to overcome the slow germination that may occur at low temperatures. Water-soaking treatment improved the GP of both chickpea and pepper seeds by 59 and 24%, respectively, compared to the control but neither water nor US had any positive effect on pepper GRI. Post-treatment measurement of moisture content of these seeds produced variable results depending on crop species and US treatment duration. Results of this research indicated that US treatment effectively enhanced speed of germination of chickpea, wheat and watermelon seeds. This increase in speed of germination may improve early field establishment of these crops in the semiarid Mediterranean region and thus needs further investigation. The US technique may also be very useful for plant propagators in nurseries to achieve fast seedling establishment of watermelon.

Trade-offs among transcription elongation rate, number, and duration of ubiquitous pauses on highly transcribed bacterial genes

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150020
Author(s):  
Tomáš Gedeon ◽  
Lisa Davis ◽  
Katelyn Weber ◽  
Jennifer Thorenson
Keyword(s):  
Functional Relationship ◽  
Surrounding Medium ◽  
Elongation Rate ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Transcription Rate ◽  
Initiation Rate ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Protein Coding Genes ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Elongation Process

In this paper, we study the limitations imposed on the transcription process by the presence of short ubiquitous pauses and crowding. These effects are especially pronounced in highly transcribed genes such as ribosomal genes (rrn) in fast growing bacteria. Our model indicates that the quantity and duration of pauses reported for protein-coding genes is incompatible with the average elongation rate observed in rrn genes. When maximal elongation rate is high, pause-induced traffic jams occur, increasing promoter occlusion, thereby lowering the initiation rate. This lowers average transcription rate and increases average transcription time. Increasing maximal elongation rate in the model is insufficient to match the experimentally observed average elongation rate in rrn genes. This suggests that there may be rrn-specific modifications to RNAP, which then experience fewer pauses, or pauses of shorter duration than those in protein-coding genes. We identify model parameter triples (maximal elongation rate, mean pause duration time, number of pauses) which are compatible with experimentally observed elongation rates. Average transcription time and average transcription rate are the model outputs investigated as proxies for cell fitness. These fitness functions are optimized for different parameter choices, opening up a possibility of differential control of these aspects of the elongation process, with potential evolutionary consequences. As an example, a gene’s average transcription time may be crucial to fitness when the surrounding medium is prone to abrupt changes. This paper demonstrates that a functional relationship among the model parameters can be estimated using a standard statistical analysis, and this functional relationship describes the various trade-offs that must be made in order for the gene to control the elongation process and achieve a desired average transcription time. It also demonstrates the robustness of the system when a range of maximal elongation rates can be balanced with transcriptional pause data in order to maintain a desired fitness.

scholarly journals Can we predict dispersal guilds based on the leaf-height-seed scheme in a disjunct cerrado woodland?

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
AVF. Jardim ◽  
MA. Batalha
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Canopy Height ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Plant Canopy ◽  
Frugivorous Birds

Although there have been advances in methods for extracting information about dispersal processes, it is still very difficult to measure them. Predicting dispersal groups using single readily-measured traits would facilitate the emergence of instructive comparisons among ecological strategies of plants and offer a path towards improved synthesis across field experiments. The leaf-height-seed scheme consists of three functional traits: specific leaf area, plant canopy height, and seed mass. We tested, applying logistic regression analysis, whether these traits are potential predictors of dispersal guilds in a disjoint cerrado woodland site in southeastern Brazil. According to our results, none of the plant traits studied could predict dispersal guild; this means that abiotically and biotically dispersed species showed similar values of specific leaf area, height, and seed mass. The species of both guilds exhibited sclerophylly, probably a result of the typical soil nutrient deficiency of cerrado, which also may have placed constraints upon plant canopy height regardless of the dispersal mode. In the cerrado, some abiotically dispersed trees might present higher than expected seed mass as support to the investment in high root-to-shoot ratio at the seedling stage. Seeds of bird-dispersed species are limited in size and mass because of the small size of most frugivorous birds. Since soil nutrient quality might contribute to the similarity between the dispersal guilds regarding the three traits of the scheme, other plant traits (e.g., root depth distribution and nutrient uptake strategy) that detail the former should be considered in future predictive studies.

Modeling germination of smallflower umbrella sedge (Cyperus difformis L.) seeds from rice fields in California across suboptimal temperatures

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 733-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael M. Pedroso ◽  
Durval Dourado Neto ◽  
Ricardo Victoria Filho ◽  
Albert J. Fischer ◽  
Kassim Al-Khatib
Keyword(s):  
Growth Models ◽  
Rice Fields ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Thermal Time ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Base Temperature ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
Time Model ◽  
Thermal Requirements ◽  
Thermal Time Model

AbstractSmallflower umbrella sedge is a prolific C3 weed commonly found in rice fields in 47 countries. The increasing infestation of herbicide-resistant smallflower umbrella sedge populations threatens rice production. Our objectives for this study were to characterize thermal requirements for germination of smallflower umbrella sedge seeds from rice fields in California and to parameterize a population thermal-time model for smallflower umbrella sedge germination. Because the use of modeling techniques is hampered by the lack of thermal-time model parameters for smallflower umbrella sedge seed germination, trials were carried out by placing field-collected seeds in a thermogradient table set at constant temperatures of 11.7 to 41.7 C. Germination was assessed daily for 30 d, and the whole experiment was repeated a month later. Using probit regression analysis, thermal time to median germination [θT(50)], base temperature for germination (Tb), and SD of thermal times for germination [σθT(50)] were estimated from germination data, and model parameters were derived using the Solver tool in Microsoft Excel®. Germination rates increased linearly below the estimated optimum temperatures of 33.5 to 36 C. Estimated Tb averaged 16.7 C, whereas θT(50) equaled 17.1 degree-days and σθT(50) was only 0.1 degree-day. The estimated Tb for smallflower umbrella sedge is remarkably higher than that of japonica and indica types of rice, as well as Tb of important weeds in the Echinochloa complex. Relative to the latter, smallflower umbrella sedge has lower thermal-time requirements to germination and greater germination synchronicity. However, it would also initiate germination much later because of its higher Tb, given low soil temperatures early in the rice growing season in California. When integrated into weed growth models, these results might help optimize the timing and efficacy of smallflower umbrella sedge control measures.

scholarly journals Unravelling GSNOR-Mediated S-Nitrosylation and Multiple Developmental Programs in Tomato Plants

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 2523-2537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biao Gong ◽  
Yanyan Yan ◽  
Lili Zhang ◽  
Fei Cheng ◽  
Zhen Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Metabolism ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Hypocotyl Growth ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Tomato Plants ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Agronomically Important Traits

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) impacts multiple developmental events and stress responses in plants. S-nitrosylation, regulated by S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR), is considered as an important route for NO bioactivity. However, genetic evidence for GSNOR-mediated plant development and S-nitrosylation remains elusive in crop species. Genetic and site-specific nitrosoproteomic approach was used to obtain GSNOR-mediated phenotype and S-nitrosylated network. Knockdown of GSNOR increased the endogenous NO level and S-nitrosylation, resulting in higher germination rate, inhibition of root and hypocotyl growth, decreased photosynthesis, reduced plant growth, altered plant architecture, dysplastic pollen grains, and low fructification rate and fruit yield. For nitrosoproteomic analysis, 395 endogenously S-nitrosylated proteins with 554 S-nitrosylation sites were identified within a wide range of biological processes, especially for energy metabolism. Physiological and exogenous energy-support testing were consistent with the omic result, suggesting that GSNOR-mediated S-nitrosylation of energy metabolism plays key roles in impacting plant growth and development. Taken together, GSNOR is actively involved in the regulation of multiple developmental processes related to agronomically important traits. In addition, our results provide valuable resources and new clues for the study of S-nitrosylation-regulated metabolism in plants.

scholarly journals Seedling traits predict drought-induced mortality linked to diversity loss

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (12) ◽  
pp. 5576-5581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Harrison ◽  
Marina LaForgia
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Root Traits ◽  
Adaptive Plasticity ◽  
Adult Plant ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Correlated Traits ◽  
Seedling Traits ◽  
Seedling Roots ◽  
Native Diversity

Trait-based approaches are increasingly used to predict ecological consequences of climate change, yet seldom have solid links been established between plant traits and observed climate-driven community changes. Most analyses have focused on aboveground adult plant traits, but in warming and drying climates, root traits may be critical, and seedlings may be the vulnerable stage. Relationships of seedling and root traits to more commonly measured traits and ecological outcomes are poorly known. In an annual grassland where winter drought-induced seedling mortality is driving a long-term decline in native diversity, using a field experiment during the exceptionally dry winter of 2017–2018, we found that seedling mortality was higher and growth of seedlings and adults were lower in unwatered than watered sites. Mortality of unwatered seedlings was higher in species with shorter seedling roots, and also in species with the correlated traits of small seeds, high seedling specific leaf area (SLA), and tall seedlings. Adult traits varied along an axis from short-stature, high SLA and foliar N, and early flowering to the opposite values, and were only weakly correlated with seedling traits and seedling mortality. No evidence was found for adaptive plasticity, such as longer roots or lower SLA in unwatered plants. Among these species, constitutive variation in seedling root length explained most of the variation in survival of a highly vulnerable life stage under winter drought. Selective loss of species with high adult SLA, observed in this community and others under drought stress, may be the byproduct of other correlated traits.

scholarly journals Disentangling the Effects of Disturbance from Those of Dominant Tall Grass Features in Driving the Functional Variation of Restored Grassland in a Sub-Mediterranean Context

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Bricca ◽  
Federico Maria Tardella ◽  
Fabio Tolu ◽  
Irina Goia ◽  
Arianna Ferrara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Traits ◽  
Seed Mass ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Functional Variation ◽  
Tall Grass ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Main Driver ◽  
Coexisting Species ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Space Occupation

Land abandonment in sub-Mediterranean grasslands causes the spread of tall-grasses, affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Mowing allows the recovery of the coenological composition after invasion, but the mechanisms acting at the fine-scale are poorly investigated. Since 2010 in the Central Apennines, we fenced a grassland invaded by Brachypodium rupestre, divided it into two areas, half of each was mowed biyearly and half remained unmown. In 2017 we selected ten 20 × 20 cm experimental units per half-area, collecting data on species occurrences, plant traits, B. rupestre height and phytomass. We used generalized linear mixed-effect modelling to disentangle the role of mowing from the impact of B. rupestre features in driving the community functional variations. Mowing was the main driver in the recovery process, acting as an abiotic filter (enhancement of tolerance-avoidance strategies). Furthermore, the reduction of weaker competitor exclusion processes fostered the increase of functional variation between coexisting species. Both drivers acted on different plant traits (e.g., mowing on life span, vegetative propagation types and plant height, mowing and B. rupestre features on space occupation types, seed mass and leaf anatomy), generally enhancing the extent of functional strategies related to resource acquisition and storage, reproduction, space occupation and temporal niche exploitation.

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