Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

January 2012

Abstract

Iliamna remota Greene (Kankakee mallow, Malvaceae) is listed as endangered in Illinois and is endemic to Langham Island in the Kankakee River, Kankakee County, Illinois. Information on ways to break seed dormancy of I. remota would be useful for restoration and management. The purpose of this study was to determine if hot water at different temperatures and for different lengths of time would break seed dormancy. Seeds were dipped for 60 seconds into water at 70, 80, 90 or 100 degrees C with 22 degrees C dips as a control. In another trial, seeds were dipped into 80 degrees C for 0, 10, 20, 30 or 60 seconds. Each treatment included six replications with 25 seeds each. Seeds were germinated in Petri dishes in a seed germinator at 25 degrees C with continuous light. Germinated and fungal contaminated seeds were counted for three weeks. When comparing temperatures with dips for 60 seconds, germination percentages were significantly greatest with dips at 80 degrees C (63%), lower at 70 degress C (46%), still lower at 90 degress C (29%), and lowest at 100 degress C (15%) or control (9%). When comparing times with dips at 80 degress C, 20 seconds was the best time. Hot water dips for 60 seconds at all temperatures significantly decreased contamination (<5%) relative to the control (15%). Thus, hot water dips at 80 degrees C provided the best hot water dip for breaking seed dormancy of I. remota when using seeds to grow plants for restoration. In addition, our findings suggest that high soil temperatures created during burns for management could enhance seed germination in soils.

Comments

This peer reviewed article was originally published in Erigenia, number 25, Spring 2012, pp 8-13 and is available at http://www.ill-inps.org/images/pub/Erigenia_No_25_Spring2012.pdf

https://works.bepress.com/janice_coons/7/

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