Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell.

Seeds of the iconic Australian baobab Adansonia gregorii display physical dormancy (PY) and germinate readily once they become water permeable, a trait found in most other species in this genus. Highest germination (100%) was observed when seeds were placed in concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) for...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Turner, S., Dixon, Kingsley
Format: Journal Article
Published: CABI Publishing 2009
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15861
_version_ 1848749009127079936
author Turner, S.
Dixon, Kingsley
author_facet Turner, S.
Dixon, Kingsley
author_sort Turner, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Seeds of the iconic Australian baobab Adansonia gregorii display physical dormancy (PY) and germinate readily once they become water permeable, a trait found in most other species in this genus. Highest germination (100%) was observed when seeds were placed in concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) for 24 h, although exposure to H2SO4 for 6-12 h also resulted in >85% germination. Exposure to boiling water for 1-5 min was far less effective in promoting germination (0-23%), although a high number of seeds were water permeable (67-99%) following boiling water treatment. However, the majority of these water-permeable seeds appeared to have been injured by boiling water exposure. Germination at warmer temperatures (30 or 35°C) was found to be optimal (81-83% germination) and proceeded rapidly, with maximum germination occurring after incubation for only 8 d. In comparison, germination at 15-25°C resulted in 3-67% germination over a longer time frame (up to 20 d). While seeds of A. gregorii display PY they are unusually sensitive to dipping in boiling water and are therefore atypical when compared to most other Adansonia species. © 2009 Cambridge University Press.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T07:14:07Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-15861
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T07:14:07Z
publishDate 2009
publisher CABI Publishing
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-158612017-09-13T14:08:00Z Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell. Turner, S. Dixon, Kingsley Seeds of the iconic Australian baobab Adansonia gregorii display physical dormancy (PY) and germinate readily once they become water permeable, a trait found in most other species in this genus. Highest germination (100%) was observed when seeds were placed in concentrated sulphuric acid (H2SO4) for 24 h, although exposure to H2SO4 for 6-12 h also resulted in >85% germination. Exposure to boiling water for 1-5 min was far less effective in promoting germination (0-23%), although a high number of seeds were water permeable (67-99%) following boiling water treatment. However, the majority of these water-permeable seeds appeared to have been injured by boiling water exposure. Germination at warmer temperatures (30 or 35°C) was found to be optimal (81-83% germination) and proceeded rapidly, with maximum germination occurring after incubation for only 8 d. In comparison, germination at 15-25°C resulted in 3-67% germination over a longer time frame (up to 20 d). While seeds of A. gregorii display PY they are unusually sensitive to dipping in boiling water and are therefore atypical when compared to most other Adansonia species. © 2009 Cambridge University Press. 2009 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15861 10.1017/S0960258509990134 CABI Publishing restricted
spellingShingle Turner, S.
Dixon, Kingsley
Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell.
title Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell.
title_full Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell.
title_fullStr Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell.
title_full_unstemmed Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell.
title_short Seed dormancy and germination in the Australian baobab, Adansonia gregorii F. Muell.
title_sort seed dormancy and germination in the australian baobab, adansonia gregorii f. muell.
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/15861