TITLE:
Germination Kinetics in Two Acacia karroo Hayne Ecotypes under Salinity Conditions
AUTHORS:
Abdenour Kheloufi, Abdelmalek Chorfi, Lahouaria-Mounia Mansouri
KEYWORDS:
Acacia Trees, Seed, Salinization, Tolerance, Forestry
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.4 No.1,
January
12,
2017
ABSTRACT: Acacia karroo Hayne is the most important woody invader of grassland in South Africa, and is one of the fastest-growing acacias, and produces high-density wood. This study aims to compare the germinative behaviour of A. karroo seeds collected from two ecotypes geographically and climatically different (Coastal and Steppic area) in salt stress. The seeds were exposed to saline stress conditions by increasing concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) varying from 0 to 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400 and 600 mM. Germination was estimated by the daily rates and the final germinated seed rate during a period of 21 days in Petri dishes at 25℃ (5 replicates of 20 seeds). The emergence of seedlings was appreciated by their overall length. The results revealed the existence of a significant variation (p