Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T05:24:58.610Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Influence of environmental factors on germination and emergence of Pueraria lobata

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 June 2017

David J. Susko ,
J. Paul Mueller  and
Janet F. Spears
J. Paul Mueller
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Science, North Carolina State University, Box 7620, Williams Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695-7620
Janet F. Spears
Affiliation:
Department of Crop Science, North Carolina State University, Box 7620, Williams Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695-7620
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Laboratory and greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the effect of several environmental factors on seed germination and seedling emergence of the invasive weed Pueraria lobata (kudzu). Germination occurred over a range of alternating temperatures from 15/6 to 35/25 C. Seed germinated equally well in alternating light/darkness and continuous darkness. At all temperature regimes, percentage germination was much greater for hand-scarified seed (95 to 100%) than for nonscarified seed (7 to 17%), indicating that P. lobata seed possesses physical dormancy. Germination exceeded 51% in solutions with pH 5 to 9. Maximum germination (99%) was observed in distilled water at pH 5.4. Germination was greatly reduced in solutions with osmotic potentials below −0.4 MPa (28% at −0.6 MPa, and 13% at −0.9 MPa); no germination was observed at −1.3 MPa. Percentage emergence was greater than 45% at burial depths in soil of 0.5 to 10 cm, with maximal emergence (72 to 85%) at depths of 0.5 to 4 cm. Seed sown on the soil surface had low seedling emergence (< 13%). No seedlings emerged when seed was exposed to flooding for 7 d or more. Pueraria lobata seed is capable of germinating in a variety of climatic and edaphic conditions, but flooding may severely limit establishment of stands by seed.

Keywords

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi PUELO, kudzuLighttemperaturescarificationpHosmotic stressplanting depthsimulated floodingweed biologyPUELO
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 47 , Issue 5 , October 1999 , pp. 585 - 588
Copyright
Copyright © 1999 by the Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Akanda, R. U., Mullahey, J. J., and Shilling, D. G. 1996. Environmental factors affecting germination of tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum). Weed Sci. 44:570–574.Google Scholar
Baird, J. H. and Dickens, R. 1991. Germination and emergence of Virginia buttonweed (Diodia virginiana). Weed Sci. 39:37–41.Google Scholar
Balyan, R. S. and Bhan, V. M. 1986. Germination of horse purslane (Trianthema portulacastrum) in relation to temperature, storage conditions. and seeding depths. Weed Sci. 34:513–515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baskin, C. C. and Baskin, J. M. 1998. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination. New York: Academic Press, p. 212.Google Scholar
Baskin, J. M. and Baskin, C. G. 1984. Environmental conditions required for germination of prickly sida (Sida spinosa). Weed Sci. 32:786–791.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyd Edwards, M. 1982. Kudzu—ecological friend or foe. Proc. South. Weed Sci. Soc. 35:232–236.Google Scholar
Cussans, G. W., Raudonius, S., Brain, P., and Cumberworth, S. 1996. Effects of seed burial and soil aggregate size on seedling emergence of Alopecurus myosuroides, Galium aparine, Stellaria media and wheat. Weed Res. 36:133–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Everitt, J. H. 1983. Seed germination characteristics of two woody legumes (retama and twisted acacia) from south Texas. J. Range Manag. 36:411–414.Google Scholar
Gealy, D. R., Young, F. L., and Morrow, L. A. 1985. Germination of mayweed (Anthemis cotula) achenes and seed. Weed Sci. 33:69–73.Google Scholar
Horak, M. J. and Sweat, J. K. 1994. Germination, emergence, and seedling establishment of Buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima). Weed Sci. 42:358–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacDonald, G. E., Brecke, B. J., and Shilling, D. G. 1992. Factors affecting germination of dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) and yankeeweed (Eupatorium compositifolium), Weed Sci. 40:424–428.Google Scholar
Nan, X. 1992. Comparison of Some Aspects of the Ecological Life History of an Annual and a Perennial Species of Senna (Leguminosae: Section Chamaefistula), with Particular Reference to Seed Dormancy. M.S. thesis. University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. 149 p.Google Scholar
O'Brien, R. E. and Skelton, D. W. 1946. The Production and Utilization of Kudzu. Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station Bull. 438. Mississippi State College. 25 p.Google Scholar
Patterson, D. T. 1976. The history and distribution of five exotic weeds in North Carolina. Castanea 41:177–180.Google Scholar
Qi, M. and Upadhyaya, M. K. 1993. Seed germination ecophysiology of meadow salsify (Tragopogon pratensis) and western salsify (T. dubius). Weed Sci. 41:362–368.Google Scholar
Reddy, K. N. and Singh, M. 1992. Germination and emergence of hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa). Weed Sci. 40:195–199.Google Scholar
Shaw, D. R., Mack, R. E., and Smith, C. A. 1991. Redvine (Brunnichia ovata) germination and emergence. Weed Sci. 39:33–36.Google Scholar
Shaw, D. R., Smith, H. R., Cole, A. W., and Snipes, C. E. 1987. Influence of environmental factors on smallflower morningglory (Jacquemontia tamnifolia) germination and growth. Weed Sci. 35:519–523.Google Scholar
Singh, M. and Achhireddy, N. R. 1984. Germination ecology of milk-weedvine (Morrenia odorata). Weed Sci. 32:781–785.Google Scholar
SYSTAT. 1997. Systat 7.0 for Windows: Statistics. Chicago, IL: SPSS.Google Scholar
Tabor, P. 1949. Moderate and complete scarification of kudzu and perennial lespedeza seed. Agron. J. 41:491–492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanner, R. D., Hussain, S. S., Hamilton, L. A., and Wolf, F. T. 1979. Kudzu (Pueraria lobata): potential agricultural and industrial resource. Econ. Bot. 33:400–412.Google Scholar
Tsugawa, H., Tange, M., and Masui, K. 1979. Top and root growth of seedlings of kudzu vines (Pueraria lobata Ohwi). Sci. Rep. Fac. Kobe Univ. 13:203–208.Google Scholar
Vleeshouwers, L. M. 1997. Modelling the effect of temperature, soil Penetration resistance, burial depth and seed weight on pre-emergence growth of weeds. Ann. Bot. 79:553–563.Google Scholar