Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T03:00:29.182Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Role of Nurse Plants in Facilitating the Germination of Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) Seeds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Zdenka Martinkova ,
Alois Honek  and
Stano Pekár
Zdenka Martinkova
Affiliation:
Department of Herbology, Crop Research Institute, Drnovská 507, CZ-16106 Prague 6, Ruzyne, Czech Republic
Alois Honek*
Affiliation:
Department of Entomology, Crop Research Institute, Drnovská 507, CZ-16106 Prague 6, Ruzyne, Czech Republic
Stano Pekár
Affiliation:
Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic
*
Corresponding author′s E-mail: honek@vurv.cz
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

At germination, seedlings may be encouraged by the surrounding vegetation. This facilitation was studied in dandelions in a manipulative experiment to determine whether a nurse plant, either maple trees or alfalfa, assisted in the germination of dandelion seeds and whether there was a difference in germination when additional moisture (irrigation) was provided on top of rainfall. Seeds were sown into 33-cm2 “arenas” and surrounded by plastic collars, which prevented the seed from being eaten by predators. Germination was recorded at 1- to 2-d intervals, and the percentage of the seeds that germinated and their time to 50% germination (T50) was calculated. The nurse plant was consistently associated with seed germination. Compared with bare ground, the germination percentage was lower under tree cover, whereas T50 was shorter under the cover of herbaceous plants (alfalfa). The values for the germination percentage and T50 were similar under tree and herb nurse plants when the soil was irrigated. Nurse plants facilitated germination via their effects on understory humidity. Facilitating the germination of dandelions through the presence of nurse plants contributes to their propagation in crops.

Keywords

Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale G.H. Weber ex Wiggers TAROFalfalfa Medicago sativa L.Norway maple, Acer platanoides L.Germination percentagegermination speedplant life formmicroclimatehumidity
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 62 , Issue 3 , September 2014 , pp. 474 - 482
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

Anonymous. 2002. TableCurve 2D 5.01 for Windows User's Manual. San Jose, CA Systat Software. 638 pGoogle Scholar
Anonymous. 2006. SigmaStat 3.5 for Windows User's Manual. San Jose, CA Systat Software. 844 pGoogle Scholar
Arshad, MA, Gill, KS, Coy, GR (1994) Wheat yield and weed population as influenced by 3 tillage systems on a clay soil in temperate continental climate. Soil Till Res 28:227–238.Google Scholar
Bonan, G (2002) Ecological Climatology: Concept and Application. Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press. 678 pGoogle Scholar
Bostock, SJ, Benton, RA (1979) The reproductive strategies of five perennial Compositae. J Ecol 67:91–107.Google Scholar
Brooker, RW, Maestre, FT, Callaway, RM, Lortie, CJ, Cavieres, LA, Kunstler, G, Liancourt, P, Tielbörger, K, Travis, JMJ, Anthelme, F, Armas, C, Coll, L, Corcket, E, Delzon, S, Forey, E, Kikvidze, Z, Olofsson, J, Pugnaire, F, Quiroz, CL, Saccone, P, Schiffers, K, Seifan, M, Touzard, B, Michalet, R (2008) Facilitation in plant communities: the past, the present, and the future. J Ecol 96:18–34.Google Scholar
Cavieres, LA, Quiroz, CL, Molina-Montenegro, MA (2008) Facilitation of the non-native Taraxacum officinale by native nurse cushion species in the high Andes of central Chile: are there differences between nurses. Funct Ecol 22:148–156.Google Scholar
Chepil, WS (1946) Germination of weed seeds, I: longevity, periodicity of germination, and vitality of seeds in cultivated soil. Sci Agric 26:307–346.Google Scholar
Collins, LL (2000) The Effects of Date of Seed Maturation and Seed Size on Seed Germination and Seedling Emergence of the Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale Weber. Ph.D Dissertation. London, Canada University of Western Ontario. 96 pGoogle Scholar
Ford, H (1981) Competitive relationships amongst apomictic dandelions. Biol J Linn Soc 15:355–368.Google Scholar
Fowler, NL, Best, CF, Price, DM, Hempel, AL (2011) Ecological requirements of the Zapata bladderpod Physaria thamnophila, an endangered Tamaulipan thornscrub plant. Southwest Nat 56:341–352.Google Scholar
Franssen, AS, Kells, JJ (2007) Control strategies for common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in no-tillage cropping systems. Weed Technol 21:18–22.Google Scholar
Froese, NT, Van Acker, RC, Friesen, LF (2005) Influence of spring tillage and glyphosate treatment on dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) control in glyphosate-resistant canola. Weed Technol 19:283–292.Google Scholar
Grime, JP, Hodgson, JG, Hunt, R (2007) Comparative Plant Ecology. 2nd edn. Colvend, UK Castelpoint. 748 pGoogle Scholar
Hacault, KM, Van Acker, RC (2006) Emergence timing and control of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in spring wheat. Weed Sci 54:172–181.Google Scholar
Hofmann, M, Isselstein, J, Opitz von Boberfeld, W (1998) Seedling establishment of dandelion and ribwort plantain in perennial ryegrass swards. Pages 723–727 in Nagy, G, Petö, K, eds. Proceedings of the 17th European Grassland Federation Meeting. Debrecen, Hungary Agricultural University Google Scholar
Honek, A, Martinkova, Z, Saska, P. (2005) Post-dispersal seed predation of Taraxacum officinale (dandelion) seed. J Ecol 93:345–352.Google Scholar
Honek, A, Martinkova, Z, Saska, P, Koprdova, S (2009) Role of post-dispersal seed and seedling predation in establishment of dandelion (Taraxacum agg.) plants. Agric Ecosyst Environ 134:126–135.Google Scholar
Koyama, A, Tsuyuzaki, S (2010) Effects of sedge and cottongrass tussocks on plant establishment patterns in a post-mined peatland, northern Japan. Wetl Ecol Manag 18:135–148.Google Scholar
Lortie, CJ, Turkington, R (2008) Species-specific positive effects in an annual plant community. Oikos 117:1511–1521.Google Scholar
Martinkova, Z, Honek, A (2007) The effect of cryopreservation on germination of dandelion seeds. Plant Prot Sci 43:63–67.Google Scholar
Martinkova, Z, Honek, A, Lukas, J (2011) Viability of Taraxacum officinale seeds after anthesis. Weed Res 51:508–515.Google Scholar
Martinkova, Z, Honek, A, Pekar, S (2009) Seed availability and gap size influence seedling emergence of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) in grasslands. Grass Forage Sci 64:160–168.Google Scholar
Mohler, CL, Calloway, MB (1992) Effects of tillage and mulch on the emergence and survival of weeds in sweet corn. J Appl Ecol 29:21–34.Google Scholar
Mondo, P, Mattson, KDM, Bennington, CC (2010) The effect of shrubs on the establishment of an endangered perennial (Asclepias curtissii) endemic to Florida scrub. Southeast Nat 9:259–274.Google Scholar
Moyer, JR, Clapperton, MJ, Boswall, AL (2003) Method and time of alfalfa termination affects cereal growth and weed populations. Can J Plant Sci 83:969–976.Google Scholar
Naylor, E (1941) The proliferation of dandelion from roots. Bull Torrey Bot Club 68:351–358.Google Scholar
Neckar, K, Brant, V, Necasova, M, Novakova, K, Venclova, V (2008) Germination of weed species from Asteraceae family under water deficit conditions. J Plant Dis Prot 21(Suppl):271–275.Google Scholar
Pavlu, V, Gaisler, J, Hejcman, M, Pavlu, L (2006) Effect of different grazing systems on dynamics of grassland weedy species. J Plant Dis Prot 20(Suppl):377–383.Google Scholar
Pavlu, V, Hejcman, M, Pavlu, L, Gaisler, J (2007) Restoration of grazing management and its effect on vegetation in an upland grassland. Appl Veg Sci 10:375–382.Google Scholar
Quiroz, CL, Cavieres, LA, Pauchard, A (2011) Assessing the importance of disturbance, site conditions, and the biotic barrier for dandelion invasion in an alpine habitat. Biol Invasions 13:2889–2899.Google Scholar
Ramsdale, BK, Kegode, GO, Messersmith, CG, Nalewaja, JD, Nord, CA (2006) Long-term effects of spring wheat-soybean cropping systems on weed populations. Field Crop Res 97:197–208.Google Scholar
Richards, AJ (1973) The origin of Taraxacum agamospecies. Bot J Linn Soc 66:189–211.Google Scholar
Solbrig, OT, Simpson, BB (1977) A garden experiment on competition between biotypes of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). J Ecol 65:427–430.Google Scholar
Soliveres, S, DeSoto, L, Maestre, FT, Olano, JM (2010) Spatio-temporal heterogeneity in abiotic factors modulate multiple ontogenetic shifts between competition and facilitation. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst 12:227–234.Google Scholar
Stevenson, FC, Legere, A, Simard, RR, Angers, DA, Pageau, D, Lafond, J (1998) Manure, tillage, and crop rotation: effects on residual weed interference in spring barley cropping systems. Agron J 90:496–504.Google Scholar
Stewart-Wade, SM, Neumann, S, Collins, LL, Boland, GJ (2002) The biology of Canadian weeds. 117. Taraxacum officinale G.H. Weber ex Wiggers. Can J Plant Sci 82:825–853.Google Scholar
Strobach, J, Kneifelova, M, Mikulka, J (2006) Seed emergence dynamics and production of aboveground and belowground biomass of Taraxacum officinale L. J Plant Dis Prot 20(Suppl):407–416.Google Scholar
Swanton, CJ, Booth, BD, Chandler, K, Clements, DR, Shrestha, A (2006) Management in a modified no-tillage corn-soybean-wheat rotation influences weed population and community dynamics. Weed Sci 54:47–58.Google Scholar
Thompson, K (1989) A comparative study of germination response to high irradiance light. Ann Bot (Lond) 63:159–162.Google Scholar
von Hofsten, CG (1954) Studies on the Genus Taraxacum with special reference to the group vulgaria in Scandinavia. Stockholm, Sweden LTs Förlag. 431 p [In Swedish]Google Scholar
Williams, ED (1983) Effects of temperature, light, nitrate and pre-chilling on seed germination of grassland plants. Ann Appl Biol 103:161–172.Google Scholar