Effects of temperature and burial on seed germination and persistence of the restricted invasive Stevia ovata in northern Queensland
Faiz F. Bebawi A E , Shane D. Campbell A B , Robert J. Mayer C , Melissa J. Setter D and Stephen D. Setter DA Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Tropical Weeds Research Centre, PO Box 187, Charters Towers, Qld 4820, Australia.
B School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, Qld 4343, Australia.
C Agri-Science Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Maroochy Research Station, Mayers Road, Nambour, Qld 4560, Australia.
D Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Centre for Wet Tropical Agriculture, Experimental Road, South Johnstone, Qld 4859, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: faiz.bebawi@outlook.com
Australian Journal of Botany 66(5) 388-397 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT18117
Submitted: 07 June 2018 Accepted: 14 August 2018 Published: 30 August 2018
Abstract
Stevia ovata Willd. is an invasive weed that has become naturalised in northern Queensland, Australia. To aid management of current infestations, this study evaluated seed germination under a range of constant (13−48°C) and alternating (11/7 to 52/42°C) temperature regimes and quantified the potential longevity of soil seed banks. The effect of different soil types, levels of pasture cover and burial depths on seed longevity was investigated in both the dry- and wet-tropics of North Queensland. Germination of S. ovata occurred under a wide range of both constant (13−39°C) and alternating day/night temperatures (16/12 to 52/42°C), but optimum conditions ranged between 24 and 27°C and 24/20 and 37/31°C respectively. As temperatures declined below the optimum, an increasing proportion of seeds went into a state of enforced dormancy. In contrast, higher than optimum temperatures caused a proportion of seeds to lose viability. Differential responses in seed longevity of S. ovata occurred between the two experimental sites. In the wet-tropics, seed viability was <1% after 12 months and fully expired after 18 months, irrespective of burial depth. In the dry-tropics, seeds persisted for longer (nil viability after 24–42 months) and burial depth had a significant effect. Surface located seeds tended to exhibit a faster rate of decline in viability than seeds buried below ground. These findings have implications for the duration of control/eradication programs and also suggest that S. ovata has the potential to greatly expand its current distribution, particularly into cooler areas of Australia.
Additional keywords: burial depth, germination rate, innate dormancy, seed quiescence, viability.
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