Overcoming dormancy and light requirements in seeds of Heteropogon contortus, a target species for savanna restoration

Leperlier Cédric, Rivière Jean-Noël Eric, Allibert Agathe, Dessauw Dominique, Lacroix Stéphane, Fock-Bastide Isabelle. 2018. Overcoming dormancy and light requirements in seeds of Heteropogon contortus, a target species for savanna restoration. Ecological Engineering : 10-15.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.07.017

Article de revue ; Article de recherche ; Article de revue à facteur d'impact

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Quartile : Q2, Sujet : ECOLOGY / Quartile : Q2, Sujet : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES / Quartile : Q2, Sujet : ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Résumé : As observed at a world scale, in Reunion Island Heteropogon contortus savannas face major pressure and need to be preserved and restored. However, the use of this species in restoration projects is hampered by the limited knowledge about the seed germination ecology and more specifically about dormancy and light requirements. Dormancy state and light requirements for germination of H. contortus seeds were assessed over a 3-year after-ripening period (i.e. storage). Dormancy loss was observed after one year of storage. Between one and two years of after-ripening, H. contortus seeds exhibit significantly higher mean germination percentages in daily light than in darkness, demonstrating their positive photoblasty (i.e. requires light for germination). Smoke solutions significantly enhanced germination in both daily light and darkness during the first two years of dry storage. This study also demonstrated that smoke-infused water with beekeeping smoker fuel could be an efficient method to enhance germination of H. contortus seeds. Overall, this method could be adopted for large scale restoration projects due to its efficiency, its low cost and its reproducibility.

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : La Réunion, France

Mots-clés libres : Heteropogon contortus, Germination, Physiological dormancy, Photoblasty, Smoke-infused water

Classification Agris : F01 - Culture des plantes
F62 - Physiologie végétale - Croissance et développement

Champ stratégique Cirad : Axe 6 (2014-2018) - Sociétés, natures et territoires

Agences de financement européennes : European Commission, European Regional Development Fund

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