Abstract
The objetive of this study was to identify the effects of aluminum concentrations and pH levels of solution on germination of Echium plantagineum L. seeds. Three different experiments were carried out in completely randomized design with four repetitions. In the first experiment, we used aluminum sulfate solutions in concentrations of 0.0; 0.3; 0.6; 1.0; 2.0; 3.0; 4.0; 5.0; 6.0 and 7.0 cmolc L-1 and in the second experiment, solutions with different pH, 3.0; 4.0; 5.0; 6.0; 7.0; 8.0; 9.0 and 10.0. In the third experiment, we carried out a factorial (4x4) with aluminum sulfate solutions (0.0; 2.0; 4.0 and 6.0 cmolc L-1) and pH (4.0; 5.0; 6.0 and 7.0). It was evaluated the germination of Echium plantagineum L. at four and 14 days after seeding (DAS), germination speed index, primary root length, aerial part and dry mass of seedlings. The presence of aluminum reduced the germination by 27 and 40% at four and 14 DAS, respectively, in concentrations superior to 3.0 cmolc L-1. The three growth parameters presented linear reduction with the increase of aluminum concentrations. In the second experiment, the solutions with pH of 3.0 and 10.0 provided increases in germination, length of root and aerial part, and little influence in the dry mass of seedlings. In the third experiment, there was significant interaction between the aluminum concentrations and pH levels of substrate. The presence of aluminum in the substrate presented toxic effect on germination of seeds, length of seedlings and dry mass. The pH of the solution has little effect in germination of seeds and in the growth of seedlings of E. plantagineum.
Highlights
Among the weed plants of economic importance we can cite Echium plantagineum L., an annual plant of cold season from Boraginaceae family, known vulgarly as purple flower or echium oil
The results indicated that the germination of E. plantagineum seeds was influenced by the concentrations of aluminum in solutions
We observed that the presence of aluminum in the substrate interfered both in germination at four and at 14 days after seeding (DAS), having reduction of 27 and 40%, respectively, in concentration of 3.0 cmolc L-1 of aluminum, in comparison with the control without the presence of aluminum, whose values of germination found were 19 and 27% at four and 14 DAS, respectively (Figure 1A)
Summary
Among the weed plants of economic importance we can cite Echium plantagineum L., an annual plant of cold season from Boraginaceae family, known vulgarly as purple flower or echium oil. E. plantagineum has elevated phenotypic plasticity, demonstrated by the variation of morphological characteristics: height of plant, size and mass of seeds, triggered in response to the variations of precipitation and temperature (Sharma & Esler, 2008; Konarzewski; Murray & Godfree, 2012) This species has scorpioid inflorescence, presenting flowers with upper ovary, bicarpellary, gamocarpellary and tetralocular (formation of a secondary wall in the ovary), with an ovule by locule and gynobasic gynoecium, which in maturation of fruits, these ones separate themselves being united by the base of style (Souza & Lorenzi, 2012). This type of gynoecium form fruits denominated carcerulus (indehiscent dry fruit and one-seeded), whose seed remains united to the fruit, being a unit of dissemination and propagation (Moreira & Bragança, 2010)
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