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Effects of amount and frequency of precipitation and sand burial on seed germination, seedling emergence and survival of the dune grass Leymus secalinus in semiarid China

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Abstract

Aims

Seed germination and seedling emergence are vulnerable to water stress in arid environments. When precipitation is low and unpredictable during the early growing season, seeds near the sand surface often suffer from hydration/dehydration during germination. We investigated the responses of seedling emergence and survival of a sand dune grass with high sand stabilization value to amount and frequency of precipitation and depth of burial in sand.

Methods

Effects of amount and frequency of precipitation, burial and hydration/dehydration on seedling emergence of Leymus secalinus, were examined using standard procedures.

Results

Seedling emergence was affected by amount and frequency of monthly precipitation and depth of burial, and it decreased as precipitation frequency decreased with same amount of precipitation. Highest emergence percentage was obtained with 100 or 150 mm precipitation at 1–4 cm depth. Hydration/dehydration treatments decreased germination and increased dormancy percentage. Young seedlings with root lengths of 0–1 mm desiccated up to 30 days revived after rehydration.

Conclusions

Seedling emergence of L. secalinus is adapted to 150 mm monthly precipitation with frequency of 10–30 times per month, 1–4 cm burial depth and dehydration interval of 1–2 days. Alteration of amount and/or frequency of precipitation caused by climate change could markedly affect seedling emergence and population regeneration of this species.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the National Key Technology R&D Program (2012BAD16B03-01), Key Basic Research and Development Plan of China (2010CB951304) and by the National Natural Science Foundation of P. R. China (30872074).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China

    Yajuan Zhu, Xuejun Yang, Ming Dong & Zhenying Huang

  2. Institute of Desertification Studies, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China

    Yajuan Zhu

  3. Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    Carol C. Baskin & Jerry M. Baskin

  4. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA

    Carol C. Baskin

Authors
  1. Yajuan Zhu
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  2. Xuejun Yang
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  3. Carol C. Baskin
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  4. Jerry M. Baskin
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  5. Ming Dong
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  6. Zhenying Huang
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Correspondence to Zhenying Huang.

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Responsible Editor: Jeffrey Walck.

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Zhu, Y., Yang, X., Baskin, C.C. et al. Effects of amount and frequency of precipitation and sand burial on seed germination, seedling emergence and survival of the dune grass Leymus secalinus in semiarid China. Plant Soil 374, 399–409 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1892-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1892-9

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