Release of Medicago truncatula Gaertn. and Pisum sativum subsp. elatius (M. Bieb.) Asch. et Graebn. Seed Dormancy Tested in Soil Conditions

Abstract

Medicago truncatula (barrel medic) and Pisum sativum subsp. elatius (wild pea) accessions originating from variable environmental conditions in the Mediterranean basin were used to study physical seed dormancy (PY) release. The effect of soil burial on PY release was tested on 112 accessions of medic and 46 accessions of pea over the period of 3 months in situ at three common gardens (Hungary, Spain and Greece) from 2017 through 2019. PY release after soil exhumation followed by experimental laboratory germination of remaining dormant seeds (wet, 25 °C, 21 days) were related to the environmental conditions of the common garden and macroclimatic variables of the site of origin of the accessions. Higher PY release was observed in buried seeds under humid rather than under dry and hot environments. Exposure of remaining dormant seeds to experimental laboratory conditions increased total PY release up to 70% and 80% in barrel medic and wild pea, respectively. Wild pea showed higher phenotypic plasticity on PY release than barrel medic, which had higher bet-hedging within-season. Wild pea showed lower bet-hedging among-season (PY < 10%) in relation to precipitation than barrel medic, which was more conservative (PY ≈ 20%). Observed variability suggests that these species have the capability to cope with ongoing climate change.

Practical Methods for Breaking Seed Dormancy in a Wild Ornamental Tulip Species Tulipa thianschanica Regel

“…The habit or type of seed dormancy determines the ecological niche of its germination and propagation, which is substantially related to factors of climate, humidity, soil, light, nutrients and biological and abiotic stresses [15,16]. Stratification and burial depth are also considered to be the key factors for seed germination in many plants.…”

Climate effect on Avena fatua field emergence dynamics: A 38‐year experiment in the semiarid Pampean region of Argentina

“…As stated by Renzi et al (2020), patterns of field emergence may reflect species local adaptations. From our perspective, the local adaptation of A. fatua is evidenced by a highly plastic response represented by a large inter‐annual variation of the emergence patterns.…”