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Seed Germination Behavior of Halophytes Distributed in Arid Arabian Deserts

A Review of Current Research

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Handbook of Halophytes

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Abstract

This article presents an overview of the seed germination research on halophytes and the factors influencing their germination. The influence of different environmental factors on germination behavior and salt tolerance of seeds was reviewed in 13 halophytes from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to provide updates in this field of research and identify areas of future research. The literature review indicated that mostly there is a consistent pattern in seed germination behavior of studied halophytes. In the presence of light, a higher germinability was obtained at lower temperature (15/25 °C), as compared with higher temperatures (25/35 °C). In general, germination was relatively faster at 25/35 °C, which would favor faster seedling establishment if rainfall does occur by the end of the growing season in the arid deserts. Salinity treatments differently affected seed germination of halophytes included in this study. Seed germination decreases with increasing salinity; however, it was recovered after seeds were transferred to distilled water and showed species-specific recovery patterns. These patterns indicate that seeds can survive higher salinities in their soil seed bank. The seed biology information, including data gathered in the lab-based experiments, would significantly help in optimizing the germination of halophyte seeds for vegetation restoration in arid desert habitats.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Amr Abdel-Hamid, Director-General of Sharjah Research Academy, for encouragement and support. Prof. Ali El-Keblawy and anonymous reviewers made constructive and incisive comments on earlier version; we are thankful to them. The authors wish to extend thanks to Gary Feulner for his helpful comments on the earlier version of Figure 1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sharjah Seed Bank and Herbarium, Sharjah Research Academy, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

    Sanjay Gairola, Hatem A. Shabana, Asma Al Ketbi & Tamer Mahmoud

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  1. Sanjay Gairola
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  2. Hatem A. Shabana
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  3. Asma Al Ketbi
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  4. Tamer Mahmoud
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Correspondence to Sanjay Gairola .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, Romania

    Marius-Nicusor Grigore

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  1. Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan

    Bilquees Gul

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Gairola, S., Shabana, H.A., Al Ketbi, A., Mahmoud, T. (2020). Seed Germination Behavior of Halophytes Distributed in Arid Arabian Deserts. In: Grigore, MN. (eds) Handbook of Halophytes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_45-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_45-1

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