Effect of the pretreatment and season on caryopsis germination of Stipa tenacissima L. in the eastern of Morocco

Abstract

The Moroccan steppe rangelands based on Stipa tenacissima L. continue to deteriorate over time and natural regeneration by seed is very rarely observed. The purpose of this study is to assess the germination capacity of Stipa tenacissima seeds under two regimes of temperature 10/25°C (winter) and 30/40° C (Spring). Thus, various physical pre-treatments were tested (soaking caryopsis in normal water and cold stratification). The results showed that the highest germination rate (70%) was observed after soaking in normal water for 24 hours where the temperature varied between 10 and 20°C. However, the lowest germination rate was recorded with seeds soaked at 5°C which was harmful for the germination rate of the Stipa tenacissima seeds. Likewise, germination latency times were significantly shorter following soaking in normal water. This study is very useful and open up potential prospects for controlling multiplication in the nursery and, beyond that, would contribute to preserve this indigenous species and to the rehabilitation of degraded rangelands.

Keywords

• stipa tenacissima
• germination
• prétraitements
• saison
• dormance
• maroc oriental