Intermediate morphophysiological dormancy allows for life-cycle diversity in the annual weed, Turgenia latifolia (Apiaceae)

Miregul Nurulla, Carol C. Baskin, Juan J. Lu, Dun Y. Tan, Jerry M. Baskin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Our aim was to determine the seed dormancy-breaking requirements and type of life cycle of Turgenia latifolia in north-western China. At dispersal in July, only 0-9% of the seeds germinated at 5/2°C, 15/2°C, 20/10°C and 25/15°C; thus, 91% of the seeds exhibited physiological dormancy (PD) and 9% were non-dormant. Also, the embryo was underdeveloped and embryo length:seed length ratio increased from 0.38 in fresh seeds to 0.79 at germination. Seeds buried in dry soil at the four temperature regimes for 12 weeks germinated to ≥50% when tested in darkness at 5/2°C, and those buried at 15/2°C and 20/10°C germinated to ≥50% when tested at 15/2°C. Seeds have intermediate complex morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). PD was broken at high and/or low temperatures, but embryo growth was completed only at low temperatures; gibberellic acid (GA3) promoted germination. Seeds buried under natural conditions during summer germinated to ∼70% and ∼55% at 5/2°C and 15/2°C, respectively, in darkness in autumn. In a germination-phenology study, cumulative germination was ∼20% and ∼80% in autumn and spring, respectively. Intermediate complex MPD allows the species to behave as a winter annual and as a short-lived summer annual.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)630-637
Number of pages8
JournalAustralian Journal of Botany
Volume62
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Thanks go to Jannathan Mamut and Amanulla Eminniyaz for help with statistical analysis. This study was supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31160063, U1130301), the Major National Scientific Research Program of China (2014CB954202) and the International Science and Technology Cooperation Program of China (ISTPC2011dfb30070).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 CSIRO.

Keywords

  • embryo growth
  • morphophysiological dormancy
  • seed germination
  • winter annual

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Plant Science

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