Sensitivity of Seed Germination to Temperature and Light in Helichrysum amorginum
Abstract
Helichrysum amorginum is a perennial shrub, endemic on the Greek island of Amorgos and used for medicinal, cosmetic and ornamental purposes. Information concerning germination behavior and seedling survival is considered essential for the establishment and cultivation of wild species. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of temperature and light on germination of Helichrysum amorginum seeds. A set of experiments was conducted under completely randomized design with four replications of 200 seeds at three different suboptimal germination temperatures (15, 20 and 25°C) in light and dark conditions for 10 days. Seed material was collected from two different fields of the island (Aegiali and Katapola). The germination performance was evaluated by final germination percentage and mean germination time. The effect of temperature on seed germination percentage and mean germination time was significant in all cases. The presence of light enhanced germination, especially at the optimum temperature of 20°C. In most cases the mean germination time increased at the lower temperature of 15°C. Seeds from Aegiali exhibited higher germination ability than the seed lot from Katapola. Knowledge of seed germination behaviour is of major importance in order to establish effective protocols for seed propagation in Helichrysum amorginum.Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).