Influence of Pregermination Conditions on the Viability of Selected Marsh Plants.

摘要

A brief state-of-the-art review and laboratory tests were conducted to determine viability and germination requirements of seed from 13 marsh plant species and to determine proper methods of seed storage and handling techniques to maximize viability. Selected species which exhibited considerable dormancy were also subjected to various gas and hormone treatments in an effort to break seed dormancy. The 13 species examined included sea ox-eye (Borrichia frutescens), Lyngby's sedge (Carex lyngbyei), slough sedge (Carex obnupta), tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa), marah elder (Iva frutescens), soft rush (Juncus effusus), broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), woody glasswort (Salicornia pacifica), tule (Scirpus validus), smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), big cordgrass (Spartina cynosuroides), Pacific cordgrass (Spartina foliosa), and salt-meadow cordgrass (Spartina patens). The study results provide useful information about seed viability, dormancy, storage potential, and potential germination rates for the 13 marsh plant species tested. These parameters can be useful for indicating the feasibility of using certain species for future artificial marsh establishment programs when direct seeding is desired.