Asian spiderflower (Cleome viscosa) germination ecology in southern Iran

Abstract

Cleome viscosa is one of the most important weeds of warm‐season crops in southern Iran. Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the impact of environmental factors on seed germination of C. viscosa. Freshly harvested seeds exhibited dormancy that was relieved (>90%) after immersion for 20 min in concentrated sulfuric acid. Regardless of the temperature regime, the final percentage of germination in light/dark (69.3%) was significantly higher than in complete darkness (58.3%). The optimum temperature for germination was 35/25°C in both light and dark. No germination was observed at constant temperatures of either 15 or 45°C. The thermal thresholds for seed germination, the base (Tb) and the mean ceiling germination temperatures (Tc(50)) were estimated to be 18.8 and 39.9°C, respectively. A base water potential ( Ψb(50)) of −0.96 MPa was identified for C. viscosa seeds. The response threshold of C. viscosa to reduce 50% of maximum germination for salinity was estimated to be 255 mM. Seeds that were placed on the soil surface had the highest percentage of seedling emergence (77.3%), and no seedlings emerged from seeds placed at a depth of 6 cm. The findings of this study could help to improve the integrated weed management strategies for this species.