Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T10:35:03.395Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Factors affecting seed germination of annual sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) in southern Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Bhagirath S. Chauhan ,
Gurjeet Gill  and
Christopher Preston
Gurjeet Gill
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy Campus, South Australia, Australia 5371
Christopher Preston
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, South Australia, Australia 5064
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Annual sowthistle has become more abundant under no-till systems in southern Australia. Increased knowledge of germination biology of annual sowthistle would facilitate development of effective weed control programs. The effects of environmental factors on germination and emergence of annual sowthistle seeds were examined in laboratory and field experiments. Seeds of annual sowthistle were able to germinate over a broad range of temperatures (25/15, 20/12, and 15/9 C day/night temperatures). Seed germination was favored by light; however, some germination occurred in the dark as well. Greater than 90% of seeds germinated at a low level of salinity (40 mM NaCl), and some seeds germinated even at 160 mM NaCl (7.5%). Germination decreased from 95% to 11% as osmotic potential increased from 0 to −0.6 MPa and was completely inhibited at osmotic potential greater than −0.6 MPa. Seed germination was greater than 90% over a pH range of 5 to 8, but declined to 77% at pH 10. Seedling emergence was the greatest (77%) for seeds present on the soil surface but declined with depth, and no seedlings emerged from a soil depth of 5 cm. In another experiment in which seeds were after-ripened at different depths in a field, seed decay was greater on the soil surface than at 2 or 5 cm depth. At the end of the growing season, there was a much greater persistence of buried seed (32 to 42%) than seeds present on the soil surface (8%). Greater persistence of buried seed could be due to dormancy enforced by dark in this species.

Keywords

Annual sowthistle, Sonchus oleraceus L. SONOLGerminationlightosmotic potentialtemperatureweed seed
Type
Research Article
Information
Weed Science , Volume 54 , Issue 5 , October 2006 , pp. 854 - 860
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Adkins, S. W., Wills, D., Boersma, M., Walker, S. R., Robinson, G., McLeod, R. J., and Einam, J. P. 1997. Weeds resistant to chlorsulfuron and atrazine from the north-east grain region of Australia. Weed Res. 37:343–349.Google Scholar
Andersson, L., Milberg, P., and Noronha, A. 1997. Germination response of weed seeds to light, light of short duration and darkness after stratification in soil. Swed. J. Agric. Res. 27:113–120.Google Scholar
Ballare, C. L., Ghersa, C. M., Sanchez, R. A., and Scopel, A. L. 1988. The fate of Datura ferox L. seeds in the soil as affected by cultivation depth of burial and degree of maturity. Ann. Appl. Biol. 112:337–345.Google Scholar
Chachalis, D. and Reddy, K. N. 2000. Factors affecting Campsis radicans seed germination and seedling emergence. Weed Sci. 48:212–216.Google Scholar
Chauhan, B. S., Gill, G., and Preston, C. 2006. Seedling recruitment pattern and depth of recruitment of 10 weed species in minimum tillage and no-till seeding systems. Weed Sci. 54:658–668.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
D'Emden, F. H. and Llewellyn, R. S. 2004. No-till adoption and cropping issues for Australian grain growers. Pages 108 in Fischer, T. ed., Proceedings of the Fourth International Crop Science Conference. Brisbane, Australia: The Regional Institute.Google Scholar
DiTommaso, A. 2004. Germination behavior of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) populations across a range of salinities. Weed Sci. 52:1002–1009.Google Scholar
Egley, G. H. 1986. Stimulation of weed seed germination in soil. Rev. Weed Sci. 2:67–89.Google Scholar
Genstat 5 Committee. 1993. Genstat 5, Release 3 Reference Manual. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Ghorbani, R., Seel, W., and Leifert, C. 1999. Effects of environmental factors on germination and emergence of Amaranthus retroflexus . Weed Sci. 47:505–510.Google Scholar
Gramshaw, D. and Stern, W. 1977. Survival of annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) seed in a Mediterranean type environment, II: effects of short-term burial on persistence of viable seed. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 28:93–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenway, H. and Munns, R. 1980. Mechanisms of salt tolerance in nonhalophytes. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 31:149–190.Google Scholar
Hutchinson, I., Colosi, J., and Lewin, R. A. 1984. The biology of Canadian weeds, 63: Sonchus asper (L.) Hill and S. oleraceus . L. Can. J. Plant Sci. 64:731–744.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koger, C. H., Reddy, K. N., and Poston, D. H. 2004. Factors affecting seed germination, seedling emergence, and survival of texasweed (Caperonia palustris). Weed Sci. 52:989–995.Google Scholar
Michel, B. E. 1983. Evaluation of the water potentials of solutions of polyethylene glycol 8000 both in the absence and presence of other solutes. Plant Physiol. 72:66–70.Google Scholar
Rengasamy, P. 2002. Transient salinity and subsoil constraints to dryland farming in Australian sodic soils: an overview. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 42:351–361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaw, D. R., Mack, R. E., and Smith, C. A. 1991. Redvine (Brunnichia ovata) germination and emergence. Weed Sci. 39:33–36.Google Scholar
Sheldon, J. C. 1974. The behaviour of seeds in soil. III. The influence of seed morphology and the behaviour of seedlings on the establishments of plants from surface-lying seeds. J. Ecol. 62:47–66.Google Scholar
Taylorson, R. B. 1970. Changes in dormancy and viability of weed seeds in soils. Weed Sci. 18:265–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Esso, M. L., Ghersa, C. M., and Soriano, A. 1986. Cultivation effects on the dynamics of a johnsongrass seed population in the soil. Soil Till. Res. 6:325–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Mourik, T. A., Stomph, T. J., and Murdoch, A. J. 2005. Why high seed densities within buried mesh bags may overestimate depletion rates of soil seed banks. J. Appl. Ecol. 42:299–305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Widderick, M., Sindel, B., and Walker, S. 1999. Distribution, importance and management of Sonchus oleraceus (common sowthistle) in the northern cropping region of Australia. Page 198 in Bishop, A. C., Boersma, M. and Barnes, C. D. eds., Proceedings of the 12th Australian Weeds Conference. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia: Tasmania Weed Society, Hobart.Google Scholar
Widderick, M., Walker, S., and Sindel, B. 2004. Better management of Sonchus oleraceus L. (common sowthistle) based on the weed's ecology. Pages 535–537 in Sindel, B. and Johnson, S. B. eds., Proceedings of the 14th Australian Weeds Conference. Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia: Weed Society of New South Wales.Google Scholar
Wilson, R. G. Jr. 1979. Germination and seedling development of Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). Weed Sci. 27:146–151.Google Scholar
Woolley, J. T. and Stoller, E. 1978. Light penetration and light-induced seed germination in soil. Plant Physiol. 61:597–600.Google Scholar