Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water Meadows
Understanding seed viability under long-term storage conditions provides basic and useful information to investigate the effectiveness of seed banking. Besides the germination success, seedling establishment is also an important requirement, and a decisive step to ensure plant propagation. We used c...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2020-05-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/5/581 |
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| author | Alba Cuena-Lombraña Martina Sanna Marco Porceddu Gianluigi Bacchetta |
| author_facet | Alba Cuena-Lombraña Martina Sanna Marco Porceddu Gianluigi Bacchetta |
| author_sort | Alba Cuena-Lombraña |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding seed viability under long-term storage conditions provides basic and useful information to investigate the effectiveness of seed banking. Besides the germination success, seedling establishment is also an important requirement, and a decisive step to ensure plant propagation. We used comparative data of germination, seedling growth, and survival percentage between fresh and 10-years-stored seeds of <i>Senecio morisii</i>, a narrow endemic and vulnerable species of Sardinia (Italy), in order to evaluate if differences exist in these traits between fresh and 10-years-stored seeds. Stored seeds showed higher germination percentages than fresh ones, whereas seedling growth and survival did not present significant differences between them, except for seedling growth in plants produced from seeds germinated at 25 °C. This study allowed us to assess if seeds of <i>S. morisii</i> were able to germinate under controlled conditions, and if they maintained their viability and germination capacity for at least 10 years of long-term storage in the seed bank. In addition, the high seedling survival detected in both fresh and stored seeds suggests that stored seeds of <i>S. morisii</i> can be used to support reinforcement or reintroduction actions when fresh materials are not available. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:04:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21ec81f677104094b156995f43254e46 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:04:12Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-21ec81f677104094b156995f43254e462023-11-19T23:21:05ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472020-05-019558110.3390/plants9050581Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water MeadowsAlba Cuena-Lombraña0Martina Sanna1Marco Porceddu2Gianluigi Bacchetta3Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB), University of Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 11-13, 09123 Cagliari, ItalySardinian Germplasm Bank (BG-SAR), Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus (HBK), University of Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 9-11, 09123 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB), University of Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 11-13, 09123 Cagliari, ItalyDepartment of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for the Conservation of Biodiversity (CCB), University of Cagliari, Viale Sant’Ignazio da Laconi, 11-13, 09123 Cagliari, ItalyUnderstanding seed viability under long-term storage conditions provides basic and useful information to investigate the effectiveness of seed banking. Besides the germination success, seedling establishment is also an important requirement, and a decisive step to ensure plant propagation. We used comparative data of germination, seedling growth, and survival percentage between fresh and 10-years-stored seeds of <i>Senecio morisii</i>, a narrow endemic and vulnerable species of Sardinia (Italy), in order to evaluate if differences exist in these traits between fresh and 10-years-stored seeds. Stored seeds showed higher germination percentages than fresh ones, whereas seedling growth and survival did not present significant differences between them, except for seedling growth in plants produced from seeds germinated at 25 °C. This study allowed us to assess if seeds of <i>S. morisii</i> were able to germinate under controlled conditions, and if they maintained their viability and germination capacity for at least 10 years of long-term storage in the seed bank. In addition, the high seedling survival detected in both fresh and stored seeds suggests that stored seeds of <i>S. morisii</i> can be used to support reinforcement or reintroduction actions when fresh materials are not available.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/5/581ex situ conservationlong-term storageseed bankingseed viabilitysurvivalrestoration programs |
| spellingShingle | Alba Cuena-Lombraña Martina Sanna Marco Porceddu Gianluigi Bacchetta Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water Meadows Plants ex situ conservation long-term storage seed banking seed viability survival restoration programs |
| title | Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water Meadows |
| title_full | Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water Meadows |
| title_fullStr | Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water Meadows |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water Meadows |
| title_short | Does Storage under Gene Bank Conditions Affect Seed Germination and Seedling Growth? The Case of <i>Senecio morisii</i> (Asteraceae), a Vascular Plant Exclusive to Sardinian Water Meadows |
| title_sort | does storage under gene bank conditions affect seed germination and seedling growth the case of i senecio morisii i asteraceae a vascular plant exclusive to sardinian water meadows |
| topic | ex situ conservation long-term storage seed banking seed viability survival restoration programs |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/5/581 |
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