Abstract
Emergence and growth of barley was severely decreased by short periods (less than 24 hours) of pre-emergence waterlogging at 20°C. The extent of damage depended on a combination of duration of waterlogging, soil water potential and aggregate size. Potentials of less than—4kPa prevented loss of plants developing in aggregates of less than 2 mm diameter after a transitory period of waterlogging although some shoot and root damage occurred. By comparison seeds growing in soil consisting of aggregates greater than 2 mm in diameter were not damaged by transitory waterlogging even when drainage only occurred at−0.8kPa. The severity of damage increased with the period of waterlogging. A criterion obtained as the product of mean size grade and water potential gave a single value (−4NM−1) below which emergence was satisfactory. Waterlogging halfway through germination gave more severe damage than near sowing date or near emergence.
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Shiel, R.S., Holburn, S. & Adey, M.A. The influence of aggregate size and drannage potential on germination of barley seeds in flooded soil. Plant Soil 101, 115–121 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371038
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02371038