Open Access

ARTICLE

Pre-germination treatments on Senna arnottiana and Senna kurtzii: key contributions for restoration initiatives in Payunia, Patagonia, Argentina

Turuelo NM¹, DR Pérez²

1 Laboratory of Rehabilitation and Ecological Restoration of Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems, CONICET, School of Health and Environmental Sciences. National University of Comahue, Neuquén, Argentina.
2 Laboratory of Rehabilitation and Ecological Restoration of Arid and Semiarid Ecosystems, School of Health and Environmental Sciences. National University of Comahue, Neuquén, Argentina.

Address correspondence to: Natalia M. Turuelo, Phone +54-9-299-155101326, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2018, 87(all), 260-264. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2018.87.260

Abstract

In arid and semi-arid ecosystems, increasing and irreversible degradation in areas of high conservation value has prompted the search for various solutions, such as rehabilitation and ecological restoration. To implement these strategies, it is essential to solve critical issues affecting the establishment of plants in the field and the production of seedlings in nursery gardens. In the present work, the following pre-germination treatments were evaluated for the species Senna arnottiana and S. kurtzii, endemic to the Patagonian steppe (Payunia): (1) Immersion in water at 80 °C for 5 minutes; (2) Immersion in water at 80 °C for 10 minutes; (3) Immersion in water at 100 °C for 5 minutes; (4) Immersion in water at 100 °C for 10 minutes; (5) Acid scarification with sulfuric acid for 30 minutes; (6) Acid scarification with sulfuric acid for 60 minutes; (7) Soaking in water at 80 °C until cooled for 24 hours, and (8) Control (no treatment). For both species, the highest, fastest, and most homogeneous germination was obtained with acid scarification, i.e., 70% germination for S. arnottiana and 95% germination for S. kurtzii. Although this method requires the use of a laboratory and has a high economic cost for local residents, the high germination percentages obtained make it highly recommended for the production of large quantities of seedlings.

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Keywords

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