Water Stress Inhibits Germination While Maintaining Embryo Viability of Subtropical Wetland Seeds: A Functional Approach With Phylogenetic Contrasts

Abstract

Wetland species commonly exhibit a range of strategies to cope with water stress, either through drought tolerance or through avoidance of the period of limited water availability. Natural populations provide a genetic resource for ecological remediation and may also have direct economic value. We investigated the effects of drought stress on the seed germination of wetland species. Nineteen species were germinated in four concentrations of polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) and were evaluated daily (12-h light photoperiod) or after 35 days (continuous darkness) to determine seed germination under water stress. Germination percentage decreased with an increase in polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) concentration, but species’ germination response to PEG concentration varied significantly. Seeds recovered their germinability after the alleviation of water stress, but the extent of recovery was species-dependent.

Storage on Maternal Plants Affects Temperature Requirements during Germination in Rumex obtusifolius

“…When it comes to PC2, the most important factors favoring the germination of R. obtusifolius are SYN, SH and SW. SH and SW clearly show us that slightly heavier seeds have a favored faster germination, while lighter seeds may present slower germination, a fact that was recently demonstrated in a study with nine other invasive species from China [58]. Arthrocnemum macrostachyum and Suaeda vermiculata, other invasive species from China, showed the same behavior [34] as well as 19 other species studied [59] in the same climate and natural conditions as those presented in this work. However, this antagonistic phenomenon is not restricted to species of arid climate.…”

“…In this same PCA, we can infer that larger seeds have a lower germination with a lower synchrony. In this item, the current bibliography does not allow us to make a direct inference, since larger or smaller seeds can present different germination strategies, with larger seeds presenting larger or smaller SYN [34,58].…”

“…Collection ceased after April 2021 since the aerial seed bank was mostly depleted. Seeds were collected from 15 to 20 maternal plants spaced at least 2 m apart to ensure representation of genetic diversity as described previously [34]. Perianths were removed from fruits at collection time, and seeds were tested for germination within a week after each collection.…”

Silica nanoparticle: Eco-friendly Waste Having Potential for Seed Germination of Wheat (Triticum turgidumL. Var. Sham) Under Salt Stress Conditions

“…When seeds experience osmotic stress, it takes longer for them to adapt their internal osmotic potential to the surroundings. Highly negative osmotic potential may prevent seeds from absorbing water, preventing sprouting [64]. Furthermore, because the osmotic potential of the exterior medium can influence the enzymatic reactions in the seed, the delay in sprouting is caused by the enzymatic reactions taking longer than expected [61].…”

Imbibition and Germination of Seeds with Economic and Ecological Interest: Physical and Biochemical Factors Involved

“…The main features used were integument hardness, the respiration rate, and predicted biochemical seed composition. For dendrogram construction, the integument hardness, water potential, and respiration rate were measured as described above, while the seed composition was extracted from already published papers and dendrogram was made as previously described [35][36][37][38][39]. Thus, all components were imputed in the Minitab ® 18.1 (Minitab LLC Inc., State College, PA, USA), where the similar or distal characteristics were analyzed using a dendrogram.…”