Methods for breaking seed dormancy in one cultivated and two wild Onobrychis species

Publisher： International Seed Testing Association

ISSN： 1819-5717

Source： Seed Science and Technology, Vol.39, Iss.1, 2011-04, pp. : 44-53

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Abstract

The genus Onobrychis (Fabaceae) contain species exploited as high protein fodder plants for ruminants and due to their ability to fix nitrogen they play an important role in the enrichment of soil and increasing the nutritive value of pastures. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of physical scarification, chemical scarification and freezing treatments on seed germination of O. viciifolia, along with two related wild species O. sintenisii and O. melanotricha. Seeds were collected from central regions of Iran in 2008 and tested for their reaction to dormancy breaking treatments in petri dishes. Among physical treatments, only seed pod removal significantly increased germination percentage and germination rate of O. viciifolia and O. melanotricha probably due to an inhibitory effect of seed pods. Freezing treatments had no effect on germination. In all three species acid scarification of seeds both with and without the seed pod significantly increased germination percentage and rate, although the best duration of acid scarification was highly depend on species and the presence or absence of seed pods. Results indicated that acid scarification of seeds having pods can significantly reduce mechanical restriction of seed pod and is a useful method for germination improvement in the studied species.