Effect of Mechanical and Chemical Treatments on Astragalus spinosus (Forssk.) Muschl. Seed Dormancy

Abstract

Abstract In this study, two specific methods of breaking seed dormancy were chosen to break the dormancy of Astragalus spinosus (Fabaceae) seeds. The first is sulfuric acid with a soaking time of seeds in it. The treatment of seeds with acid 98% at 15 minutes, the treatment with sulfuric acid 50% for soaking for 30 minutes, the treatment with acid 10% at a soaking period of 60 Minutes and for 24 hours, and all these treatments were in different degrees of incubation 16, 20, 22, 25 °C, while the second method that treated the seeds by scarification at degrees of incubation 16, 20, 22, 25 °C with the observation of no damage to the embryos when scarified the seeds, as well as the application of not treat seeds with any method (control) in same degrees for seven days of incubation, and such methods are considered inexpensive and effective. The results showed that when applying the treatment of seeds with sulfuric acid 98% at a soaking period 15 min and incubation degree 20 °C the germination rate have reached 86.66%, while the best germination rate of seeds when treated with scarification at an incubator of 22 and 25 °C and the germination rate reached 100%. We conclude from the present study that the seeds of A.spinosus has dormancy and the lack of optimal conditions from late winter rains under optimal temperatures will lead to the lack of the environmentally important desert species A.spinosus, or it will be absent or loss.