Salinity effects on perennial, warm-season (C₄) grass germination adapted to the northern Great Plains

Abstract

Schmer, M. R., Xue, Q. and Hendrickson, J. R. 2012. Salinity effects on perennial, warm-season (C 4 ) grass germination adapted to the northern Great Plains. Can. J. Plant Sci. 92: 873Á881. Limited information is available on the germination of perennial C 4 grasses adapted to the northern Great Plains under saline conditions. Big bluestem (Andropogen gerardii Vitman), indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash], prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata Link), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) seeds were evaluated under non-saline and saline conditions corresponding to electric conductivity (EC) values of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 dS m (1 , respectively. Ten cultivars were evaluated to determine salinity tolerance differences among and within species. Seeds were monitored for 21 d and analyzed for final germination percentage (GP), germination rate index (GRI), corrected germination rate index (CGRI), and germination velocity (GV). Differences among species were observed for all indices tested (PB0.01). Indices showed within species variation for big bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass. Big bluestem had the highest germination rates under increased salinity levels while prairie cordgrass had the lowest germination rates under non-saline and saline conditions. Indiangrass showed higher seed germination than switchgrass under low EC levels (0 to 4 dS m (1 ) but declined at a higher rate when EC levels exceeded 16 dS m (1 . Results from this study suggest grassland reestablishment from seed on variable saline soils will be dependent on both the species chosen and the specific cultivar used. ix cultivars pour de´terminer dans quelle mesure la tole´rance au sel varie au sein d'une espe`ce et d'une espe`ce a`l'autre. Les semences ont e´te´surveille´es pendant 21 jours, puis on a e´tabli le pourcentage final de germination, l'indice du taux de germination, l'indice corrige´du taux de germination et la rapidite´de la germination. Tous les indices teste´s varient d'une espe`ce a`l'autre (P B 0,01). Ces indices pre´sentent aussi des variations intra-spe´cifiques pour le barbon de Ge´rard, le fauxsorgho penche´et le panic raide. Le barbon de Ge´rard se caracte´rise par le meilleur taux de germination avec la saliniteć roissante, la spartine pectine´e ayant le taux de germination le plus faible dans les conditions salines ou pas. Les graines du faux-sorgho penche´germent mieux que celles du panic raide a`faible CE (0 a`4 ds par me`tre), mais cette proprie´te´diminue quand la CE de´passe 16 ds par me`tre. Les re´sultats de cette e´tude laissent croire que la restauration des prairies par ensemencement des sols salins de´pendra a`la fois de l'espe`ce et du cultivar choisis.

Evaluation of Phytodesalination Potential of Vegetated Bioreactors Treating Greenhouse Effluent

“…These salinity survival limits are significantly greater than the levels expected in the greenhouse effluent, and therefore, the tolerance to high salinity would not be a limiting factor for the growth. Although the germination rate of A. gerardii from seed under increased salinity levels was reported higher than S. pectinata and P. virgatum [34], the growth of the plant's seedlings in our gravel reactors was not satisfactory and thus, the species was excluded for use in the wood-chip bioreactors. Based on the qualitative visual assessment, the other species in the gravel reactors demonstrated good biomass growth with green color.…”

Stress-Tolerant Feedstocks for Sustainable Bioenergy Production on Marginal Land

“…Andropogon gerardii had the highest germination rates under increased salinity levels, compared with other C4 grasses [151].…”

“…Panicum virgatum is moderately tolerant of saline conditions, and cultivar "PV-1777" had the highest salinity tolerance for upland ecotypes in one study [151], but in others, "Blackwell" [164,165] and "Trailblazer" [166] performed well in highsalinity conditions. Compared with Spartina pectinata, Panicum virgatum "Cave-in-Rock" had low germination (down 80 %) in high (300 mM) salinity levels, and less than 70 % of seedlings survived in even moderate salinity (100 mM) treatments [167].…”

“…In contrast, Pennisetum purpureum showed major reductions in shoot biomass in saline conditions [146], and M. × giganteus was only moderately salt tolerant [160]. Upland ecotypes of Panicum virgatum (e.g., "Blackwell," "Trailblazer," and "PV-1777") were among the more salt-tolerant cultivars [151,164,166,184], although the upland ecotype, "Cave-in-Rock," was not tolerant at the seedling stage [167].…”

Allelopathic suppression by Conyza canadensis depends on the interaction between latitude and the degree of the plant’s invasion

“…Germination potential was determined by dividing the number of germinated seeds on the third day by the total number of the test seeds . Germination index was calculated using the following equation: Germination index = ∑G i / I, where G i represents the number of germinated seeds, and I represents the number of days after initial seed cultivation (Schmer et al 2012;Hou et al 2014). Germination rate index was calculated using the following equation: GRI = Germination percentage × Germination index (Steinmaus et al 2000).…”