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Fleming MB, Stanley L, Zallen R, Chansler MT, Brudvig LA, Lowry DB, Weber M, Telewski FW. The 141-year period for Dr. Beal's seed viability experiment: A hybrid surprise. Am J Bot 2023; 110:e16250. [PMID: 37812737 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE In 1879, Dr. William Beal buried 20 glass bottles filled with seeds and sand at a single site at Michigan State University. The goal of the experiment was to understand seed longevity in the soil, a topic of general importance in ecology, restoration, conservation, and agriculture, by periodically assaying germinability of these seeds over 100 years. The interval between germination assays has been extended and the experiment will now end after 221 years, in 2100. METHODS We dug up the 16th bottle in April 2021 and attempted to germinate the 141-year-old seeds it contained. We grew germinants to maturity and identified these to species by vegetative and reproductive phenotypes. For the first time in the history of this experiment, genomic DNA was sequenced to confirm species identities. RESULTS Twenty seeds germinated over the 244-day assay. Eight germinated in the first 11 days. All 20 belonged to the Verbascum genus: Nineteen were V. blattaria according to phenotype and ITS2 genotype; and one had a hybrid V. blattaria × V. thapsus phenotype and ITS2 genotype. In total, 20/50 (40%) of the original Verbascum seeds in the bottle germinated in year 141. CONCLUSIONS While most species in the Beal experiment lost all seed viability in the first 60 years, a high percentage of Verbascum seeds can still germinate after 141 years in the soil. Long-term experiments such as this one are rare and invaluable for studying seed viability in natural soil conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret B Fleming
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Lauren Stanley
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Robyn Zallen
- Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Matthew T Chansler
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- MSU Herbarium, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Lars A Brudvig
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - David B Lowry
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Plant Resilience Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Marjorie Weber
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Frank W Telewski
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
- W. J. Beal Botanical Garden and Campus Arboretum, Office of the Provost, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
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Loades E, Pérez M, Turečková V, Tarkowská D, Strnad M, Seville A, Nakabayashi K, Leubner-Metzger G. Distinct hormonal and morphological control of dormancy and germination in Chenopodium album dimorphic seeds. Front Plant Sci 2023; 14:1156794. [PMID: 37063214 PMCID: PMC10098365 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1156794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Dormancy and heteromorphism are innate seed properties that control germination timing through adaptation to the prevailing environment. The degree of variation in dormancy depth within a seed population differs considerably depending on the genotype and maternal environment. Dormancy is therefore a key trait of annual weeds to time seedling emergence across seasons. Seed heteromorphism, the production of distinct seed morphs (in color, mass or other morphological characteristics) on the same individual plant, is considered to be a bet-hedging strategy in unpredictable environments. Heteromorphic species evolved independently in several plant families and the distinct seed morphs provide an additional degree of variation. Here we conducted a comparative morphological and molecular analysis of the dimorphic seeds (black and brown) of the Amaranthaceae weed Chenopodium album. Freshly harvested black and brown seeds differed in their dormancy and germination responses to ambient temperature. The black seed morph of seedlot #1 was dormant and 2/3rd of the seed population had non-deep physiological dormancy which was released by after-ripening (AR) or gibberellin (GA) treatment. The deeper dormancy of the remaining 1/3rd non-germinating seeds required in addition ethylene and nitrate for its release. The black seeds of seedlot #2 and the brown seed morphs of both seedlots were non-dormant with 2/3rd of the seeds germinating in the fresh mature state. The dimorphic seeds and seedlots differed in testa (outer seed coat) thickness in that thick testas of black seeds of seedlot #1 conferred coat-imposed dormancy. The dimorphic seeds and seedlots differed in their abscisic acid (ABA) and GA contents in the dry state and during imbibition in that GA biosynthesis was highest in brown seeds and ABA degradation was faster in seedlot #2. Chenopodium genes for GA and ABA metabolism were identified and their distinct transcript expression patterns were quantified in dry and imbibed C. album seeds. Phylogenetic analyses of the Amaranthaceae sequences revealed a high proportion of expanded gene families within the Chenopodium genus. The identified hormonal, molecular and morphological mechanisms and dormancy variation of the dimorphic seeds of C. album and other Amaranthaceae are compared and discussed as adaptations to variable and stressful environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eddison Loades
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Marta Pérez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Veronika Turečková
- Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Danuše Tarkowská
- Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Miroslav Strnad
- Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Anne Seville
- Crop Protection Research, Syngenta, Jealott’s Hill International Research Centre, Bracknell, United Kingdom
| | - Kazumi Nakabayashi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
| | - Gerhard Leubner-Metzger
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, United Kingdom
- Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Faculty of Science, Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Olomouc, Czechia
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Nikolić N, Squartini A, Concheri G, Stevanato P, Zanin G, Masin R. Weed Seed Decay in No-Till Field and Planted Riparian Buffer Zone. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:plants9030293. [PMID: 32121486 PMCID: PMC7154824 DOI: 10.3390/plants9030293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Field management practices can alter the physical and chemical properties of the soil, also causing changes to the seed bank. Alterations can also occur to the soil microbial community, which in turn can increase or diminish the process of weed seed decay. In this research, the issue of seed degradation was studied in an undisturbed and a no-till soil, trying not only to uncover where seeds are more degraded, but also to investigate the microbial activities that could be involved in this process. Six different weed species, commonly found in northern Italy, were used: Abutilon theopharsti, Alopecurus myosuroides, Amaranthus retroflexus, Digitaria sanguinalis, Portulaca oleracea and Sorghum halepense. Seed decay was tested in two different sites, a no-till field and the adjacent buffer zone. Soil microbial activity was also measured using the Fertimetro, an approach based on the degradation of cotton and silk threads buried in the soil for one week. Degradation of the buried seeds was higher in the no-till field soil than in the buffer strip for all the studied species as was the microbial cellulolytic activity. Even though the buffer strip soil is an undisturbed habitat and resulted as having higher organic matter, the no-till soil conditions appeared more unfavourable to seed viability. Our findings suggest that no-till management can improve weed seed suppression in the soil. Moreover, cellulolytic microorganisms play an important role in seedbank longevity, so cellulolytic activity surveys could be used as an early monitoring bioindicator for weed seed suppression in soil.
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Petrikovszki R, Zalai M, Tóthné Bogdányi F, Tóth F. The Effect of Organic Mulching and Irrigation on the Weed Species Composition and the Soil Weed Seed Bank of Tomato. Plants (Basel) 2020; 9:plants9010066. [PMID: 31947794 PMCID: PMC7020471 DOI: 10.3390/plants9010066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Mulching is a management technique to control weeds in organic and integrated tomato production. Our experiment was designed to investigate the impact of organic mulch combined with irrigation on the weed species composition and weed seed bank of open-field tomato. For three consecutive years (2016-2018), treatment of microplots included mulch only, irrigation only, mulch and irrigation combined, and the untreated control. Marginal microplots (bordered by the surrounding mown grassland) were distinguished from inner microplots to check margin effect. We collected soil samples from different depths and let the weed seeds germinate in a greenhouse. Germinated weed seedlings were counted and identified. The number of weeds, and time needed for weeding was reduced by mulching, temperature, sampling date, and the succession of the study years. Irrigation, on the other hand, had no effect on weeding time. Margin effect and year had the highest influence on weed species composition. Regarding seed bank, year and mulching had the highest influence. The importance of other variables remained low, with mulching being the strongest explained variable. Regardless of treatments, weed composition of the study area was transformed during the three-year study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renáta Petrikovszki
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Plant Protection Institute, Szent István University, H-2100, Páter Károly u. 1., H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary; (R.P.); (M.Z.)
| | - Mihály Zalai
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Plant Protection Institute, Szent István University, H-2100, Páter Károly u. 1., H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary; (R.P.); (M.Z.)
| | | | - Ferenc Tóth
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Plant Protection Institute, Szent István University, H-2100, Páter Károly u. 1., H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary; (R.P.); (M.Z.)
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Fuerst EP, Okubara PA, Anderson JV, Morris CF. Polyphenol oxidase as a biochemical seed defense mechanism. Front Plant Sci 2014; 5:689. [PMID: 25540647 PMCID: PMC4261696 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/18/2014] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Seed dormancy and resistance to decay are fundamental survival strategies, which allow a population of seeds to germinate over long periods of time. Seeds have physical, chemical, and biological defense mechanisms that protect their food reserves from decay-inducing organisms and herbivores. Here, we hypothesize that seeds also possess enzyme-based biochemical defenses, based on induction of the plant defense enzyme, polyphenol oxidase (PPO), when wild oat (Avena fatua L.) caryopses and seeds were challenged with seed-decaying Fusarium fungi. These studies suggest that dormant seeds are capable of mounting a defense response to pathogens. The pathogen-induced PPO activity from wild oat was attributed to a soluble isoform of the enzyme that appeared to result, at least in part, from proteolytic activation of a latent PPO isoform. PPO activity was also induced in wild oat hulls (lemma and palea), non-living tissues that cover and protect the caryopsis. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that seeds possess inducible enzyme-based biochemical defenses arrayed on the exterior of seeds and these defenses represent a fundamental mechanism of seed survival and longevity in the soil. Enzyme-based biochemical defenses may have broader implications since they may apply to other defense enzymes as well as to a diversity of plant species and ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Patrick Fuerst
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State UniversityPullman, WA, USA
| | - Patricia A. Okubara
- Root Disease and Biological Control Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, Washington State UniversityPullman, WA, USA
| | - James V. Anderson
- Biosciences Research Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research ServiceFargo, ND, USA
| | - Craig F. Morris
- Western Wheat Quality Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, Washington State UniversityPullman, WA, USA
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Gorecki MJ, Long RL, Flematti GR, Stevens JC. Parental environment changes the dormancy state and karrikinolide response of Brassica tournefortii seeds. Ann Bot 2012; 109:1369-78. [PMID: 22492259 PMCID: PMC3359922 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcs067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The smoke-derived chemical karrikinolide (KAR(1)) shows potential as a tool to synchronize the germination of seeds for weed management and restoration. To assess its feasibility we need to understand why seeds from different populations of a species exhibit distinct responses to KAR(1). Environmental conditions during seed development, known as the parental environment, influence seed dormancy so we predicted that parental environment would also drive the KAR(1)-responses of seeds. Specifically, we hypothesized that (a) a common environment will unify the KAR(1)-responses of different populations, (b) a single population grown under different environmental conditions will exhibit different KAR(1)-responses, and (c) drought stress, as a particular feature of the parental environment, will make seeds less dormant and more responsive to KAR(1). METHODS Seeds of the weed Brassica tournefortii were collected from four locations in Western Australia and were sown in common gardens at two field sites, to test whether their KAR(1)-responses could be unified by a common environment. To test the effects of drought on KAR(1)-response, plants were grown in a glasshouse and subjected to water stress. For each trial, the germination responses of the next generation of seeds were assessed. KEY RESULTS The KAR(1)-responses of seeds differed among populations, but this variation was reduced when seeds developed in a common environment. The KAR(1)-responses of each population changed when seeds developed in different environments. Different parental environments affected germination responses of the populations differently, showing that parental environment interacts with genetics to determine KAR(1)-responses. Seeds from droughted plants were 5 % more responsive to KAR(1) and 5 % less dormant than seeds from well-watered plants, but KAR(1)-responses and dormancy state were not intrinsically linked in all experiments. CONCLUSIONS The parental environment in which seeds develop is one of the key drivers of the KAR(1)-responses of seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. J. Gorecki
- School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
- Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, West Perth WA 6005, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
| | - R. L. Long
- School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
- Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, West Perth WA 6005, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
- For correspondence. E-mail
| | - G. R. Flematti
- School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
| | - J. C. Stevens
- School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia
- Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Fraser Avenue, West Perth WA 6005, Australia
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