Artemisia monosperma achene germination in sand: Effects of sand depth, sand/water content, cyanobacterial sand crust and temperature

Zhenying Huang, Yitzchak Gutterman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

100 Scopus citations

Abstract

The mucilaginous achenes of Artemisia monosperma, a dominant perennial shrub in sandy deserts, germinate in light but poorly in dark. The deeper the achenes in sand, the lower and slower their germination. No seedlings emerged from deeper than 4 cm, but seedlings emerged after removal of the upper 3 cm or when exposed to light from below. In natural conditions seedlings emerge from a depth of 0.1 to 1.8 cm. The higher the sand/water content, the earlier the germination. The date of achene maturation also affects germination. Germination is inhibited on cyanobacterial sand crust and at 0.5 cm to 1 cm below this crust, even if aerated.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)27-43
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Arid Environments
Volume38
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1998

Keywords

  • Cyanobacterial sand crust
  • Germination depth under sand
  • Harvest date
  • Light
  • Mucilaginous achenes
  • Sand/water content
  • Temperatures

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Ecology
  • Earth-Surface Processes

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