Seed of Texas persimmon germinated in excess of 90% at constant temperatures from 20 to 300 C, and in an alternating temperature regime of 20-30? C. Seeds germinated equally well in light and dark. No seed dormancy mechanisms were observed, and viability was not reduced after storage at room conditions for 2 years. Germination percentages of seeds collected from 2 contrasting range sites did not differ. Germination did not differ over a broad range of pH values (4 to 11), but radicle elongation was inhibited at pH 11. Germination and radicle length were sensitive to osmotic potentials of 0.2 MPa or more, and no seed germinated at 1.2 MPa. Germination was restricted in a 5 g/l NaCI solution and nearly ceased at 10 g/l NaCl. Radicle length was more sensitive to NaCl solutions than was germination. Ion toxicity of salt solutions appeared to be more detrimental to germination and radicle growth than the osmotic potential of salt solutions. Seeds were not dependent on soil cover for seedling establishment, but the highest emergence occurred when seeds were covered with 1 cm of soil. Percent of germination was not reduced by passage through the digestive tracts of coyotes. Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana), also called "black" and "Mexican" persimmon is a native shrub or small tree found in rocky open woodlands, open slopes, arroyos, and other such places throughout the western two-thirds of Texas (Correll and Johnston 1970). Highest densities occur in a group of 13 counties in southcentral Texas from the southern edge of the Edwards Plateau into the northern South Texas Plains (Scifres 1975). It is usually 2 to 3 m tall, but may attain a height in excess of 6 m. Texas persimmon fruits are an important wildlife food (Vines 1960, Arnold and Drawe 1979), but this species is often a deterrent to effective range management. Although usually considered a minor component of range vegetation, Texas persimmon may become one of the primary problems following use of mechanical brush control methods such as chaining and root plowing (Scifres 1975, 1980). Moreover, it is a hard-to-kill species that is essentially resistant to conventional herbicides applied as broadcast sprays. Because its roots extend laterally a great distance from the parent plant, it is also resistant to most mechanical control methods (Scifres 1980). Little is known of the life history or biology of Texas persimmon. The major objective of this study was to determine the germination response of Texas persimmon seeds in the laboratory to certain environmental factors encountered in the seedbed. The effect on seed germination after passing through a coyote digestive tract was also studied. Materials and Methods Texas persimmon seeds were collected in August 1980 from several plant populations growing on a gray sandy loam range site (Aridic Ustochrepts) near La Joya in Hidalgo County, Texas. Only fully developed, undamaged seeds were used for germination experiments. Prior to use in experiments, seeds were stored at room conditions (20 to 270C, and 50 to 75% relative humidity). Author is range scientist, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. This study is a contribution from Remote Sensing Research, Southern Region, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Weslaco, Texas 78596. The author wishes to thank Mario Alaniz for his assistance in both the field and laboratory. Manuscript received February 14, 1983. With the exception of periodic determination of germination over a 2-year period, the various experiments were conducted when the seeds were less than I year old. All experiments were conducted in small growth chambers with automatic temperature and fluorescent light (200 MAE/m2/s) controls. Unless otherwise stated, experiments were conducted at a constant temperature of 25?C (optimum) with an 8-hr light period. An experimental unit was 10 seeds in a 15-cm petri dish that had 2 filter papers wetted with 20 ml of distilled water or an appropriate test solution. Experiments were designed as randomized complete blocks unless otherwise stated. Treatments were replicated 10 times, and each experiment was conducted twice. Seeds with 2-mm long radicles were considered as germinated. Germination was recorded 14 days after the initiation of each experiment. Radicle lengths were recorded in selected experiments. Seeds were germinated under continuous temperatures of 15, 17.5, 20, 22.5, 25, 27.5, 30, 32.5, 35, and 40?C (8-hr light period, 16-hr darkness) and alternating temperatures of 10-20, 15-25, 20-30, and 25-35? C (16-hr low temperature in darkness, 8-hr high temperature with light) (Mayeux and Scifres 1978, Mayeux 1982, Everitt 1983a). The effects of simulated moisture stress on seed germination were evaluated by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) to distilled water for the substrata-PEG-6000 concentrations required to give osmotic potentials over a wide range of temperatures are given by Michel and Kaufman (1973). Their results were used to prepare solutions ranging from 0 to 1.2 MPa at 25?C (1 MPa = 10 bars). The pH of these PEG solutions was 6.7. Tolerance to salinity during germination was evaluated with aqueous solutions of NaCl at concentrations of 0, .25, .5, .75, 1,2.5, 5, and 10 g/l. The influence of substrate pH on germination was investigated by adjusting the pH of distilled water with HCI and KOH (Mayeux and Scifres 1978). Percent germination was evaluated at pH values of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 12. Light requirements for seed germination was investigated by comparing germination in petri dishes covered with aluminum foil with germination in uncovered dishes. The effect of age on germination was investigated by comparing germination at 1, 6, 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24 months after seed collection. The influence of planting depth on seed germination was studied in the greenhouse. Temperatures in the greenhouse ranged from 21 to 28?C. Ten seeds were planted in soil in large pots (16 cm diameter X 16 cm height). A potting mixture of 3 parts sandy loam :1 part peat moss: 1 part perlite was used to prevent crusting. Seeds were placed on the soil surface and also covered to depths of 1, 2,4, 5, and 7 cm. Seedling emergence and height were recorded after 60 days. Seeds were also collected from several plant populations growing on a shallow sandy loam range site (Ustollic Paleorthids) in northern Hidalgo County in August 1980, and their germination was compared with that of plants from the gray loam site. During August 1979, seeds were recovered from fresh coyote feces from the gray sandy loam site near La Joya and their germination was compared with that of control groups of seeds from this same site. Seeds were taken from approximately 50 fecal samples. Three-hundred seeds from fecal samples and 300 control seeds JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 37(2), March 1984 189 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.17 on Fri, 02 Sep 2016 04:46:44 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms were placed in a growth chamber at 300 C. Each experimental unit consisted of 10 seeds in a 15-cm petri dish containing 2 filter papers wetted with 20 ml of distilled water. Treatments were replicated 10 times and each experiment was conducted 3 times. Percentage germination and emergence data were transformed (Arcsin) before statistical analyses. Data from 2 or 3 experiments were pooled prior to analyses. Data were subjected to analysis of variance and Student's t-test. An LSD was calculated in selected experiments (Steel and Torrie 1960). All statistical comparisons were made at P>0.05. Results and Discussion Germination of Texas persimmon seed appears to be restricted to a relatively narrow temperature range (Fig. 1). Germination was >93% at constant temperatures of 20-30? C, but decreased abruptly