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Understanding the adaptation of plant species will help us develop effective breeding programs, guide the collection of germplasm, and improve the success of population restoration projects for threatened species. Genetic features correlate with species adaptation. Acer yangbiense is a critically endangered plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP). However, no information was available on its seed germination and seedling growth in populations with different genetic characteristics. In this study, we investigated seed germination and compared the performance of 566 seedlings in 10 maternal half-sib families cultivated in Kunming Botanical Garden. The results showed that A. yangbiense seeds required an average of 44 days to start germinating, with a 50% germination rate estimated to take about 47–76 days, indicating slow and irregular germination. There is a trade-off between the growth and survival in A. yangbiense seedlings, with fast growth coming at the cost of low survival. Groups that were able to recover from a recent bottleneck consistently had higher relative growth rates. High genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding are likely to be responsible for their improved survival during drought conditions and rapid growth under optimal environmental conditions. Our results suggest that maternal genetic traits might be used as indicators for conservation and population restoration. These findings provide us with new information that could be applied to support ex situ conservation and reintroduction of threatened species.

This study aimed to evaluate the allelopathic effect of various concentrations of an aqueous extract of eucalyptus leaves on Urochloa decumbens and Panicum maximum seeds. The extract was prepared from Eucalyptus urograndis leaves that were milled and mixed with distilled water in a 1:9 milled leaves: water ratio to obtain an extract with a defined concentration of 100%. In addition, dilutions of 50%, 25% and 12.5% were prepared, and a 0% dilution was used as a control. The experiment followed a completely randomized design, with four replicates, each of 50 seeds of U. decumbens and 50 seeds of P. maximum, arranged on filter paper moistened with each concentration of extract in a Gerbox plastic box. The results demonstrated the allelopathic potential of E. urograndis aqueous extracts applied to the seeds of U. decumbens and P. maximum. The 50% and 100% concentrations of leaf extract most strongly inhibited the germination, vigor and seedling growth of U. decumbens and P. maximum. The germination speed index and the root length were the characteristics that were most affected by the potentially allelopathic substances contained in the eucalyptus extracts at all concentrations.

We investigated how seed size and timing of emergence interact with environmental conditions to determine seedling performance in one population of the long-lived perennial shrub Ericameria nauseosa var. oreophila (Asteraceae) in the sand dune ecosystem near Mono Lake, California. Size of seeds varied significantly among and within individual plants, and this variation had important consequences for size, growth, and survival of seedlings in both greenhouse and field experiments. Larger-seeded seedlings had greater biomass, greater percentage of total plant biomass allocated to roots, and longer taproots than seedlings from smaller seeds. Seedlings grown in native soil had less total biomass than seedlings grown in augmented soil but greater allocation of biomass to roots. In a field experiment following individually weighed seeds, seedlings emerging from larger seeds germinated and emerged earlier and at a higher rate than did smaller-seeded seedlings. Larger-seeded seedlings were larger at emergence, remained larger through time, and lived longer than smaller-seeded seedlings. In all stages of early seedling establishment, from germination through the first summer drought, and by all criteria, larger-seeded seedlings performed better than smaller-seeded seedlings. Given the considerable longevity of adults and the extremely small size of the wind-dispersed seeds, these aspects of seed and seedling performance have a remarkably significant impact on the survival and reproduction of subsequent life stages of E. nauseosa at this site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feeding by the tarnished plant bug ( Lygus rugulipennis Popp.) has caused severe damage in Norwegian nurseries. Large quantities of seedlings have been removed after sorting. The life cycle of the insect has been well studied and documented. This study was a first attempt to investigate how the seedlings develop after the insect attacks. The first visible sign of damage is the development of multiple terminal buds. Two-year-old containerized seedlings were planted and followed for 4 years. Before planting, the seedlings were sorted into three damage classes: 0, undamaged; I, moderately damaged, up to 10 fully developed buds; and II, severely damaged, 10–20 small buds and no dominant apical bud. The damaged seedlings were somewhat shorter at planting but this difference disappeared with time. The seedlings in the two damage classes differed in their development of multiple shoots. At the end of the 4 year period about 50% of the seedlings in class  II and about 20% from class I still had multiple leaders, or lateral stems or side branches that would probably produce spike knots in the future. The sorting routine currently used at the nursery was found to reduce the problem to an acceptable level for seedlings that were planted in the forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary • Senna obtusifolia (sicklepod) is a troublesome weed in many agronomic cropping systems in the southeastern USA with varying fertility regimes. This series of experiments was initiated to determine the impact of nutrient availability on reproductive output and maternal effects. • Experiments were conducted with plants growing in soil in growth chambers for 120 d. Offspring growth was evaluated in hydroponics. • Plants grown under higher nutrient conditions had greater reproductive biomass, number of seeds and total seed biomass. Individual seed mass distributions were slightly affected, with negative skewness decreased at higher nutrition. Seed germination rates were influenced primarily by seed size, as small seeds germinated faster than large seeds. The nitrogen content of seeds increased with increasing seed size and was higher in the high nutrition treatment. Seedlings arising from maternal plants grown under high nutrition grew more rapidly than did seedlings arising from maternal plants grown in a low nutrient regime. • The results suggest that S. obtusifolia reproduction and offspring competitiveness can be strongly influenced by the fertilization regimes used in different agronomic crops and rotations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]