Effects of natural long storage duration on seeds germinative response of Argyrolobium uniflorum (Decne.) Jaub. & Spach

Abstract

Little is known about the effect of seed natural long storage on the germination capacity of vascular plant species particularly those used in restoration programs. In the current paper, we aimed to study the effect of different seed storage durations (from 3 months to 22 years) on the germination of Argyrolobium uniflorum (Decne.) Jaub. & Spach, herbaceous legume of high pastoral value indigenous to the Mediterranean Basin. In this paper, we found that the seeds scarification, hasten germination capacity of scarified seeds (SS) to almost 80%. The seed germination is maintained for 14 years at the level of 78 to 60% and then decreases. Also, other measured parameters of water content, electric conductivity, seedling lengths and MGT were also modified along seeds age. The duration of storage affects the germination performance of Argyrolobium uniflorum seeds which decreases after approximately one decade and half which give us an idea about the longevity of soil seeds bank of this species.