GERMINATION STRATEGY OF THE TEMPERATE SANDY DESERT ANNUAL CHENOPOD AGRIOPHYLLUM-SQUARROSUM

Seed germination behaviour of the chenopod Agriophyllum squarrosum in the moving dunes of the Tenggeli Desert was studied. The response of s eed germination with time, expressed as the proportion of seed germina ted per day, presented a unimodal continuous process. Seeds began to g erminate in less than 3 h and the germination rate peak was reached 7 days after watering. All seeds eventually germinated. Seeds were colle cted in 1993 and 1994, so the maternal plants had different growing pe riods, with different plant sizes and germination times. Germination i n sand was tested in the second year and showed that there is no innat e dormancy of A. squarrosum during the growing season. The mechanism f or long-term survival of A. squarrosum in temperate sand dunes is disc ussed. (C) 1998 Academic Press.