Effects of temperature, light and other treatments on seed germination of Leymus chinensis

Abstract

Leymus chinensis (Trin.) Tzvel., a perennial cool-season grass distributed widely in eastern Asia, is an ideal species for the rangeland industry and soil conservation, but the seed has a long dormant period and low germination rates. This study examined the effects of temperature, light and various treatments including stratification, H2SO4, NaOCl, gibberellic acid (GA3) and 6-benzyl adenine (BA), on the germination of Leymus chinensis seed. Seed stored over 1 yr and germinated at a temperature regime of 25/15°C with a 12/12-h photoperiod germinated best, and had a germination rate of 30.3%, with a minimum germination time of 12 d. In these germination conditions, germinated seeds were counted after 15 d to determine the effects of other treatments upon freshly harvested seed germination. The final germination rate for freshly harvested seeds stratified at 4°C for 0 to 10 wk ranged from 8.5 to 37.3%. Germination rates were 14.0 and 14.8% when seeds were treated with 70% H2SO4 for 3 and 6 min, respectively. Seed treated with 5.0% NaOCl germinated 17.5 and 16.0% when treated for 10 and 20 min, respectively. When seeds were soaked in 1000 mg L-1 GA3 solution for 24 h, 42.3% germinated, while treatment with 50 mg L-1 of BA resulted in 50.3% germination. The results indicate that various dormancy mechanisms may exist in the species. These findings will be helpful to farmers and breeders in selecting suitable treatments to improve seed germination and establishment. Key words: Seed dormancy, grassland and sand-dune reclamation, photoperiod, Northern China, Poaceae, seed priming