ISSN:
1365-3180
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
Notes:
Summary. To assess the role of seed production and seedling behaviour in the biology of the perennial grass weed Agrostis gigantea Roth, seed germination and seedling emergence of the species were investigated in the glasshouse and in the laboratory. These studies showed that the species may produce a large number of seeds: panicles collected from a cereal field in 1971 and 1972 contained about a thousand viable seeds in both years. Mature seeds of the species are mostly non-dormant and germinate readily on moist soil surfaces. Freshly-harvested seeds require light and alternating tempratures for germination, but older seeds can germinate in constant temparature in the dark. Covering seeds with 0·6 cm soil halved the percentage emergence and few seedlings emerged from seeds sown deeper than 3±8 cm, but many seeds survived under enforced dormancy. A. gigantea seeds may also persist long in frequently cultivated shallow soil. The species flowers late but its seeds become viable quickly—in 1969 a third of the number that were finally viable became so within a week of flowering. Germination des semenes d' Agrostis gigantean Roth.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3180.1973.tb01280.x
