Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine Grasslands
The semiparasitic weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> Maxim. has rapidly spread in the alpine grasslands of northern China over the past twenty years and has caused serious ecological problems. In order to effectively halt the spread of this weed, a thorough understanding of the dormancy...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/13/1777 |
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| author | Jiedong Hu Kaihui Li Chengjun Deng Yanming Gong Yanyan Liu Lei Wang |
| author_facet | Jiedong Hu Kaihui Li Chengjun Deng Yanming Gong Yanyan Liu Lei Wang |
| author_sort | Jiedong Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The semiparasitic weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> Maxim. has rapidly spread in the alpine grasslands of northern China over the past twenty years and has caused serious ecological problems. In order to effectively halt the spread of this weed, a thorough understanding of the dormancy type and the seed-germination ecology of <i>P. kansuensis</i> is required. We have conducted a series of experiments to investigate the effects of plant growth regulators (gibberellin (GA<sub>3</sub>) and strigolactone synthesis (GR24)), as well as different abiotic (temperature, light, cold stratification, and drought) and biotic (aqueous extracts of three native dominant plants) factors on the seed-germination characteristics of <i>P. kansuensis</i>. The seed-germination percentages ranged from 2% to 62% at all of the temperatures that were examined, with the highest occurring at 25/10 °C. The light conditions did not significantly affect the germination percentage. The seed germination was greatly improved after two to eight weeks of cold stratification. The seed germination decreased dramatically with an increasing polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) concentration, from 55% to 0%, under 10% and 20% PEG-6000. The seed germination was improved at a proper concentration of GA<sub>3</sub>, GR24, and the aqueous extracts of <i>Festuca ovina</i> L., <i>Stipa purpurea</i> L., and <i>Leymus secalinus</i> (Georgi) Tzvel. Furthermore, in the pot experiment, the seedling emergence of <i>P. kansuensis</i> was also improved by the cultivation of these three dominant grasses. These findings indicate that the dormancy type of <i>P. kansuensis</i> seeds is non-deep physiological dormancy, and such findings will help in paving the way for the creation of effective weed management strategies, based on a thorough knowledge of germination ecology. |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:25:55Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f12209e37ec487f8c2294d8451a90012023-12-01T21:39:03ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-07-011113177710.3390/plants11131777Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine GrasslandsJiedong Hu0Kaihui Li1Chengjun Deng2Yanming Gong3Yanyan Liu4Lei Wang5CAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, ChinaCAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, ChinaEngineer, Grassland Station of Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, Korla 841000, ChinaCAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, ChinaCAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, ChinaUniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, ChinaThe semiparasitic weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> Maxim. has rapidly spread in the alpine grasslands of northern China over the past twenty years and has caused serious ecological problems. In order to effectively halt the spread of this weed, a thorough understanding of the dormancy type and the seed-germination ecology of <i>P. kansuensis</i> is required. We have conducted a series of experiments to investigate the effects of plant growth regulators (gibberellin (GA<sub>3</sub>) and strigolactone synthesis (GR24)), as well as different abiotic (temperature, light, cold stratification, and drought) and biotic (aqueous extracts of three native dominant plants) factors on the seed-germination characteristics of <i>P. kansuensis</i>. The seed-germination percentages ranged from 2% to 62% at all of the temperatures that were examined, with the highest occurring at 25/10 °C. The light conditions did not significantly affect the germination percentage. The seed germination was greatly improved after two to eight weeks of cold stratification. The seed germination decreased dramatically with an increasing polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) concentration, from 55% to 0%, under 10% and 20% PEG-6000. The seed germination was improved at a proper concentration of GA<sub>3</sub>, GR24, and the aqueous extracts of <i>Festuca ovina</i> L., <i>Stipa purpurea</i> L., and <i>Leymus secalinus</i> (Georgi) Tzvel. Furthermore, in the pot experiment, the seedling emergence of <i>P. kansuensis</i> was also improved by the cultivation of these three dominant grasses. These findings indicate that the dormancy type of <i>P. kansuensis</i> seeds is non-deep physiological dormancy, and such findings will help in paving the way for the creation of effective weed management strategies, based on a thorough knowledge of germination ecology.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/13/1777cold stratificationlighttemperatureosmotic stressplant growth regulatorseed germination |
| spellingShingle | Jiedong Hu Kaihui Li Chengjun Deng Yanming Gong Yanyan Liu Lei Wang Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine Grasslands Plants cold stratification light temperature osmotic stress plant growth regulator seed germination |
| title | Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine Grasslands |
| title_full | Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine Grasslands |
| title_fullStr | Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine Grasslands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine Grasslands |
| title_short | Seed Germination Ecology of Semiparasitic Weed <i>Pedicularis kansuensis</i> in Alpine Grasslands |
| title_sort | seed germination ecology of semiparasitic weed i pedicularis kansuensis i in alpine grasslands |
| topic | cold stratification light temperature osmotic stress plant growth regulator seed germination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/13/1777 |
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