Allelopathic effects of the invasive Prosopis juliflora (sw.) Dc. On seed germination of selected Qatari native plant species

Abstract Many western native plant species occur in areas characterized by well-drained soils low in organic matter. Some drought-tolerant native plant species exhibit poor seed germination. It was hypothesized that traditional growing substrates high in organic matter may impede their germination; therefore, stratified seeds of roundleaf buffaloberry (Shepherdia rotundifolia) and silver buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea) were sown in three substrates differing in organic matter and drainage properties. Seed flats were irrigated twice daily to container capacity, and held on a greenhouse bench for 40 days. Seeds of roundleaf buffaloberry exhibited greatest total germination in a calcined montmorillonite calcined clay substrate (66%); seeds exhibited low germination in a commercial peat-based germination mix (13%) and in a self-prepared, locally popular substrate (22%) that contained sphagnum peat: perlite: calcined clay: sand (2: 2: 1: 1 by vol). Seed germination of silver buffaloberry varied from 42 to 54% and was not different among the three substrates. When substrates are kept consistently moist, a calcined-clay substrate can improve germination of roundleaf buffaloberry, but not silver buffaloberry.

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Imperata cylindrica (cogon grass).

10.1079/cpc.28580.20210100324 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chris Parker

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Imperata Cylindrica ◽

Environmental Damage ◽

Native Plant ◽

Natural Areas ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

Wide Range ◽

Allelopathic Effects

Abstract I. cylindrica is a serious weed not only in crops but also in natural areas, causing serious economic and environmental damage. The ability of I. cylindrica to effectively compete for water and nutrients, spread and persist through the production of seeds and rhizomes that can survive a wide range of environmental conditions, and its allelopathic effects and pyrogenic nature, allow it to exclude native plant species and other desirable plants and dominate large areas of land.

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Pre-Sowing Treatments Improve Germinability of South Texas Native Plant Seeds

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10112545 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2545

Author(s):

Kaitlynn Lavallee ◽

Pushpa Gautam Soti ◽

Hansapani Rodrigo ◽

Rupesh Kariyat ◽

Alexis Racelis

Keyword(s):

Seed Germination ◽

Plant Species ◽

Native Plants ◽

Germination Rate ◽

South Texas ◽

Cold Stratification ◽

Native Plant ◽

Native Plant Species ◽

Plant Seeds ◽

Wide Range

The incorporation of native plant species is central to restoration efforts, but this is often limited by both the availability of seeds and the relatively low viability and germination rates of commercially available seeds. Although pre-sowing treatments are commonly used to improve germination rates of seeds, the efficacy of these treatments is found to vary across species. In this study, we tested how four pre-sow treatments (physical scarification, acid scarification, cold stratification, and aerated hydropriming) affected the viability and seed germination rates of 12 commercially available plant species native to south Texas and commonly used in restoration efforts. Our results show that the viability of the seeds have a wide range, from 78% to 1.25%. Similarly, the total germination rate ranged from 62% to 0%. We found that pre-sowing treatments accelerated the germination rate in 9 of 12 plant species tested, but the effect varied by treatment. Collectively, our results identify various methods to achieve the best germination rates for native plants of south Texas, to help improve restoration efforts across the region.

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