Abstract
BackgroundCattail (Typha domingensis Pers.) is a perennial emergent plant which is used in Green Floating Filters (GFFs), one of the most innovative systems of wastewater treatment to bioremediate eutrophic waters and produce biomass as biofuel feedstocks. The establishment of cattails in GFFs depends on the seed germination and plant responses under conditions of a new habitat. This study analysed the germination responses of four different populations of cattails through a thermal time model to know their basic parameters of germination and which population would be more adapted to the conditions tested.ResultsSeeds from the Badajoz (Ba), Cuenca (Cu), Madrid (Ma), Seville (Se) and Toledo (To) populations were exposed to different thermal regimes (constant, and alternating temperatures between 15 and 30 °C) and different darkness treatments (between 0 and 20 days with 24 h dark photoperiod, then exposed to light with 12 h light/dark photoperiod) to determine the parameters of the thermal model from germination levels in each treatment. To population was used to validate the thermal time parameters of other populations. Regardless of the other parameters, no germination occurred in total darkness. The mean value of base temperature (Tb) was 16.4 ± 0.2 °C in all treatments. Optimum temperature (To) values in Ma and Ba were 25 °C, and those in Cu and Se were 22.5 °C. The germination response decreased when the temperature approached Tb and increased when it was close to To. In comparison to alternating temperatures, constant temperatures had the highest germination response and lowest thermal time (θT(50)). Darkness treatments had a direct relationship with θT(50). The population origin also affected seed germination; Cu had the highest values of To and germination response but had a lower θT(50), which coincides with the lowest mean ambient temperatures.ConclusionAccording to these results, the germination response of cattails was high in all populations under optimal conditions but was affected to a greater or lesser extent depending on thermal regimes, darkness treatments, and populations. The thermal time model allowed us to determine that To was between 22.5–25 °C and that Cu is the best population regarding the germination response under the conditions tested.
Highlights
Cattail (Typha domingensis Pers.) is a perennial emergent plant which is used in Green Floating Filters (GFFs), one of the most innovative systems of wastewater treatment to bioremediate eutrophic waters and produce biomass as biofuel feedstocks
Different Typha species have been used in GFFs, but T. domingensis presents an advantage compared to other species: it has the capacity to produce more biomass in deeper water [10, 11] and to quickly form a floating and filtering plant mat that improves the purification of wastewater in a GFF [12]
The thermal time model for the different populations of T. domingensis allows an understanding of the germination response of each population established in a new habitat, such as a GFF system
Summary
Cattail (Typha domingensis Pers.) is a perennial emergent plant which is used in Green Floating Filters (GFFs), one of the most innovative systems of wastewater treatment to bioremediate eutrophic waters and produce biomass as biofuel feedstocks. Cattail has been used in wastewater treatments and reclamation of industrial sites due to its great capacity to remove particle matter, nutrients and metals from eutrophic waters [6,7,8] For wastewater treatment, this species has been used to form green filters that use different types of biological elements (plants and microorganisms). Different Typha species have been used in GFFs, but T. domingensis presents an advantage compared to other species: it has the capacity to produce more biomass in deeper water [10, 11] and to quickly form a floating and filtering plant mat that improves the purification of wastewater in a GFF [12]. Different studies have demonstrated that managed cattail in constructed wetlands could provide beneficial ecosystem services [6, 7] and sustainable biomass for biofuel feedstocks [13, 14] and bioproducts [15]
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