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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 54(4)

Temperature and dormancy-breaking treatments: germination of endemic and geographically restricted herbaceous perennials

Anne Cochrane A C and Robin Probert B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Conservation and Land Management, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia.

B Seed Conservation Department, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Ardingly, West Sussex RH17 6TN, UK.

C Corresponding author. Email: annec@calm.wa.gov.au

Australian Journal of Botany 54(4) 349-356 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT04113
Submitted: 10 August 2004  Accepted: 19 December 2005   Published: 22 June 2006

Abstract

This paper describes the effects of temperature and simple or multiple dormancy-breaking treatments (potassium nitrate, surgical treatment, gibberellic acid (GA3), after-ripening at 45°C and nitrogen dioxide gas) on germination of five endemic and geographically restricted herbaceous perennials (Apium prostratum Vent. subsp. phillipii Keighery ms, Goodenia stenophylla F.Muell., Marianthus granulatus (Turcz.) Benth, Myriocephalus suffruticosus Benth. and Velleia foliosa (Benth.) K.Krause) from the species-rich south-west of Western Australia. Except for seeds of A. prostratum that were non-dormant, seeds were partially dormant or fully dormant when incubated without pre-treatment at three temperatures (15, 20 and 25/10°C). Low germination (≤52%) was detected in M. granulatus under the best identified conditions, and seeds of G. stenophylla showed little to no response to any germination cue. In M. granulatus, M. suffruticosus and V. foliosa combinations of treatments were found that led to enhanced germination and in the case of V. foliosa, germination was not significantly different from a tetrazolium test of viability when seeds were surgically treated and then incubated with KNO3. Although none of the species studied exhibited physical dormancy, surgical excision of the seed coat in the vicinity of the embryo featured in the most successful combination of treatments in every case. Whilst seeds of M. granulatus responded positively to surgical treatment, after-ripening of seeds at 45°C for 2, 4 or 6 weeks did not increase either speed or final germination compared with other treatments. The mean time to germinate (MTG) ranged from 12.6 days (A. prostratum ssp. phillipii) to 46.5 days (G. stenophylla) under the best treatment conditions for each species.


Acknowledgments

This work was conducted at the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), Wakehurst Place, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, under an international partnership between the MSB and the State Government of Western Australia. The study visit was partially funded by a June Craig Award for Women in the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) and the MSB Seed Conservation Project. Thanks go to MSB staff Natasha Ali and Hannah Davies who kindly assisted with laboratory work and Matt Williams (CALM) who assisted with statistical analysis.


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