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Germination of Great Basin Wildrye Seeds Collected from Native Stands 1
Author(s) -
Young James A.,
Evans Raymond A.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1981.00021962007300060003x
Subject(s) - germination , alkali soil , agronomy , soil water , seedling , soil salinity , biology , elymus , horticulture , chemistry , poaceae , ecology
Great Basin wildrye ( Elymus cinereus Scribn. & Merr.) is a valuable forage species adapted to saline/alkaline and upland soils on western North American rangelands. Currently, selections are being evaluated for release as cultivators. Germination under high osmotic stress is an important factor in these evaluations. We collected seeds from widely differing habitats and germinated them under osmotic potentials varying from 0 to −16 bars. Osmotic potentials were reduced either with polyethylene glycol (PEG) or NaCl. Under reduced osmotic potentials, germination was strongly negatively correlated with the electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium‐absorption ratios (SAR) of the surface soils where the seeds had been produced. Seedling emergence and growth in a saline/alkaline soil (aquic Durorthidic Torrorthent) were better with seeds produced from plants growing on nonalkaline upland soils than from those growing on saline/alkaline soils. There was no marked correlation between germination with no osmotic stress, seed weight, or percent fill and the characteristics of the soil where the seeds had been produced. It would seem that plants of Great Basin wildrye adapted for growth on saline/alkaline soils produce seeds ill adapted for germination in this environment. Conversely, seeds produced from plants growing under nonalkaline conditions are more adapted to germinate in saline/alkaline soils.