Abstract
Six perennial species endemic to South West Western Australia (Acacia trulliformis, Austrostipa geoffreyi, Banksia oligantha, B. mucronulata, Hakea tuberculata and Orthrosanthus muelleri) were screened for salt tolerance and recovery during seed germination. Growth and survival of 6-month old seedlings of these six plus a further vegetatively propagated species (Myoporum turbinatum) were subsequently examined in response to salt and waterlogging application. Water uptake under elevated saline conditions (200 and 400 mM NaCl) was slow, but not restrictive to germination. Moreover, a large proportion of seeds that were unable to germinate under saline conditions recovered after being transferred to non-saline conditions. Germination, growth and survival varied with species and the salt concentration used. Increasing salt concentrations tended to increase time to germination. Germination of Acacia trulliformis seeds declined exponentially with increasing salinity, and seedlings suffered reduced growth under saline and non-saline waterlogging. Austrostipa geoffreyi seeds were sensitive to saline treatments but seedlings were highly tolerant of both saline and/or waterlogged conditions. Germination of the three proteaceous species declined significantly under highly saline conditions (400 mM NaCl) with seedlings of the two Banksia species not surviving any treatment with the exception of non-saline waterlogging. Seedlings of H. tuberculata were more resilient to treatment conditions. Orthrosanthus muelleri was sensitive to salt stress during germination but was highly resistant to waterlogging, both saline and non-saline. This study provides an insight into the response and resilience of components of the vegetation understorey of saline-affected regions of Western Australia not usually evaluated allowing for more informed restoration.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ayers AD (1952) Seed germination as affected by soil moisture and salinity. Agron J 44:82–84
Barrett-Lennard EG (1986) Effects of waterlogging on the growth and NaCl uptake of vascular plants under saline conditions. Reclam Reveg Res 5:245–261
Barrett-Lennard EG (2002) Restoration of saline land through revegetation. Agr Water Manag 53:213–226
Baskin CC, Baskin JM (2014) Seeds: ecology, biogeography, and evolution of dormancy and germination. Academic Press, San Diego
Bell DT (1999) Australian trees for the rehabilitation of waterlogged and salinity-damaged landscapes. Aust J Bot 47:697–716
Bell DT, Plummer JA, Taylor SK (1993) Seed germination ecology in southwestern Western Australia. Bot Rev 59:25–73
Bewley DJ, Black M (1994) Seeds physiology of development and germination, 2nd edn. Plenum Press, New York
Cochrane A, Yates CJ, Hoyle GL, Nicotra AB (2015) Will among-population variation in seed traits improve the chance of species persistence under climate change? Glob Ecol Biogeogr 24:12–24
Craig GF, Bell DT, Atkins CA (1990) Response to salt and waterlogging stress of ten taxa of Acacia selected from naturally saline areas of Western Australia. Aust J Bot 38:619–630
Delgado Fernández IC, Giménez Luque E, Gómez Mercado F, Pedrosa W (2016) Influence of temperature and salinity on the germination of Limonium tabernense Erben from Tabernas Desert (Almería, SE Spain). Flora 218:68–74
El-Lakany MH, Luard EJ (1982) Comparative salt tolerance of selected Casuarina species. Aust For Res 13:11–20
Ellis RH, Roberts EH (1980) Towards a rational basis for testing seed quality. In: Hebblethwaite PD (ed) Seed production. Butterworths, London, pp 605–635
Epstein E, Norlyn JD, Rush DW, Kingsbur RW, Kelley DB, Cunningham GA, Wrona AF (1980) Saline culture of crops—a genetic approach. Science 210:399–404
Houle G, Morel L, Reynolds CE, Siegel J (2001) The effect of salinity on different developmental stages of an endemic annual plant, Aster laurentianus (Asteraceae). Am J Bot 88:62–67
Keiffer C, Ungar I (1997) The effect of extended exposure to hypersaline conditions on the germination of five inland halophyte species. Am J Bot 84:104–111
Keighery G, Halse S, McKenzie N, Gibson N, Burbidge A, Gomboso J (2000) Salinity: driving the catastrophic collapse of our ecosystems. B. Commun Biodivers Netw 6:29–30
Khan MA, Bilquees G (2006) Halophyte seed germination. In: Khan MA, Weber DJ (eds) Ecophysiology of high salinity tolerant plants. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 11–30
Khan MA, Gulzar S (2003) Light, salinity, and temperature effects on the seed germination of perennial grasses. Am J Bot 90:131–134
Khan M, Ungar I (1997) Effects of thermoperiod on recovery of seed germination of halophytes from saline conditions. Am J Bot 84:279–283
Khan MA, Ungar IA (1999) Effect of salinity on seed germination of Triglochin maritima under various temperature regimes. Great Basin Nat 592:144–150
Khan MA, Gul B, Weber DJ (2001) Germination of dimorphic seeds of Suaeda moquinii under high salinity stress. Aust J Bot 49:185–192
Ladiges PY, Kelso A (1977) The comparative effects of waterlogging on two populations of Eucalyptus viminalis Labill. and one population of E. ovata Labill. Aust J Bot 25:159–169
Ladiges PY, Foord PC, Willis RJ (1981) Salinity and waterlogging tolerance of some populations of Melalecua ericifolia Smith. Aust J Ecol 6:203–215
Lambers H (2003) Dryland salinity: a key environmental issue in southern Australia. Plant Soil. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLSO.0000003909.80658.d8
Lambers H, Ahmedi I, Berkowitz O, Dunne C, Finnegan PM, Hardy GE, Jost R, Laliberté E, Pearse SJ, Teste FP (2013) Phosphorus nutrition of phosphorus-sensitive Australian native plants: threats to plant communities in a global biodiversity hotspot. Cons Phys. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cot010
Levitt J (1980) Responses of plants to environmental stresses. In: Water, radiation, salt and other stresses. Academic Press, New York
Marcar NE, Crawford DF, Saunders A, Matheson AC, Arnold RA (2002) Genetic variation among and within provenances and families of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill and E. globulus Labill. subsp. globulus seedlings in response to salinity and waterlogging. Forest Ecol Manag 162:231–249
Mayer AM, Poljakoff-Mayber A (1989) The germination of seeds, 4th edn. Pergamon Press, Oxford
McFarlane DJ, Williamson DR (2002) An overview of water logging and salinity in southwestern Australia as related to the “Ucarro” experimental catchment. Agr Water Manag 53:5–29
Mead R (1988) The design of experiments: statistical principles for practical application. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Moore GA, McFarlane DJ (1998) Waterlogging. In: Moore G (ed) Soil Guide. A handbook for understanding and managing agricultural soils. Agriculture Western Australia, Perth, pp 94–108
Myers BA, Couper DI (1989) Effects of temperature and salinity on the germination of Puccinellia ciliata (Bor) cv. Menemen. Aust J Agr Res 40:561–571
Nikham SR, McComb J (2000) Salt tolerance screening of selected Australian woody species – a review. For Ecol Manag 139:1–19
Noble CL, Rogers ME (1994) Response of temperate forage legumes to waterlogging and salinity. In: Pessarakli M (ed) Handbook of plant and crop stress. Marcel Dekker, New York, pp 473–496
Pearce-Pinto GVN, van der Moezel PG, Bell DT (1990) Seed germination under salinity stress in Western Australia species of Eucalyptus. Seed Sci Technol 18:113–118
Rehman S, Harris PJC, Bourne WF, Wilkin J (1996) The effect of sodium chloride on germination and the potassium and calcium contents of Acacia seeds. Seed Sci Technol 25:45–57
Rozema J (1975) The influence of salinity, inundation and temperature on the germination of some halophytes and non-halophytes. Oecol Plant 10:314–353
Salinity Strategy Council (2000) Natural resource management in Western Australia: the salinity strategy. Government of Western Australia, Perth
Tlig T, Gorai M, Neffati M (2008) Germination responses of Diplotaxis harra to temperature and salinity. Flora 203:421–428
Ungar IA (1978) Halophyte seed germination. Bot Rev 44:777–780
Ungar IA (1995) Seed germination and seed-bank ecology in halophytes. In: Kigel J, Galili G (eds) Seed development and germination. Marcel Dekker Inc, New York, pp 599–628
van der Moezel PG, Bell DT (1987a) Comparative seedling salt tolerance of several Eucalyptus and Melaleuca species from Western Australia. Aust For Res 17:151–158
van der Moezel PG, Bell DT (1987b) The effect of salinity on the germination of some Western Australian Eucalyptus and Melaleuca species. Seed Sci Technol 15:239–246
van der Moezel PG, Watson LE, Pearce-Pinto GVN, Bell DT (1988) The response of six Eucalyptus species and Casuarina obesa to the combined effect of salinity and waterlogging. Aust J Plant Physiol 15:465–474
van der Moezel PG, Pearce-Pinto GVN, Bell DT (1991) Screening for salt and waterlogging tolerance in Eucalyptus and Melaleuca species. For Ecol Manag 40:27–37
Zedler JB, Paling E, McComb A (1990) Differential responses to salinity help explain the replacement of native Juncus kraussii by Typha orientalis in Western Australian salt marshes. Aust J Ecol 15:57–72
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank Ms. Susanne Schreck and Mr. Brian Taylor for technical assistant and help with design of glasshouse pot trials and Dr. Matthew Williams, biometrician, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, for statistical analysis. This study was supported by an Australian Government National Heritage Trust Grant (Project#023191).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Claus Holzapfel.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cochrane, A. Salt and waterlogging stress impacts on seed germination and early seedling growth of selected endemic plant species from Western Australia. Plant Ecol 219, 633–647 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-0823-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-018-0823-5