Plant Diversity ›› 2013, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (3): 310-316.

• Articles •

### Seed Weight, Germination and Their Correlation with the Geographic and Meteorological Factors of Seeds from Plantago asiatica in China

HU  Xiao-Jian, LI  Ai-Hua, YANG  Juan, QIN  Shao-Fa, Ya  Ji-Dong, YANG  Xiang-Yun

1. China Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
• Received:2013-03-20 Online:2013-05-25 Published:2013-04-22
• Supported by:

科技部科技基础性工作专项重点项目 (2007FY110100)

Abstract:

Seeds of Plantago asiatica were collected from 21 populations distributed in 8 provinces of China. Average 50 seed weight was measured at 15℃, 5% equilibrium relative humidity. Germination test was conducted at 25/10℃, and germination ratio as well as decay ratio was obtained. The dormancy status of the seeds was estimated by calculating the proportion of freshly ungerminated seeds. Fifty seed weight is ranged from 0.0047g to 0.0408g with an average value of 0.0156g. Bivariate correlations between seed weight, germination ratio, decay ratio as well as dormancy status and geographic as well as meteorological factors of the collection sites were conducted. Seed weight is positively correlated with precipitation and temperature at a significant level of P＜0.05 and P＜0.01 respectively, thus plants from the environment with higher precipitation and temperature tend to produce heavier seeds. The decay ratio has positively significant correlations with longitude, temperature and precipitation at the level of P＜0.01; and has a negative significant correlation with altitude at the level of P＜0.01. The dormancy ratio positively correlated with temperature at the level of P＜0.05 and with precipitation at the level of P＜0.01. Over all, seeds from high altitude in the west with a lower temperature and precipitation germinated better than seeds from lower altitude in the east, this is considered to be due to a lower ratio of decay and a lower dormancy level. These different traits reflected the different adaptation in different environments.

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