Germination requirements of the extremely boron-tolerant species, Puccinellia frigida

摘要

Puccinellia frigida is a perennial grass that is extremely tolerant to boron. It has potential to be used to phytoremediate sites with boron-toxicity, a problem that limits agriculture in regions worldwide. More importantly, uncovering the genes controlling its extreme resistance would be useful to generate plants that could be employed to overcome boron-toxicity. To further study these subjects it is crucial to propagate P frigida. This study aimed to determine the germination requirements of P. frigida. Germination percentage was significantly higher in seeds that were stored (after-ripened) longer. Temperature also affected seed germination, the optimum being between 16 and 20 degrees C. Alternating temperatures also significantly improved germination. Under the best conditions (germination at 25 degrees C/15 degrees C after 10 months of after-ripening), 87.5% germination was obtained. Our results indicate that P frigida can be efficiently propagated through seeds, although they present a physiological dormancy that needs to be overcome. The results from this study will help to continue studying P frigida in order to increase its use for alleviating boron toxicity in soils.