Seed Germination Response and Tolerance to Different Abiotic Stresses of Four Species Growing in an Arid Environment.

Land degradation caused by soil salinization and wind erosion is the major obstruction to sustainable agriculture in the arid region. species have the potential to prevent land degradation. However, there is limited information about seed germination requirements and tolerance to salinity and drought for representative species. This study aimed to assess the effects of the winged perianth (seed structural features) and abiotic factors (light, temperature, salinity, and drought) on the seed germination of these species. These species varied considerably in seed germination characteristics. Compared with naked seeds, winged seeds had lower germination percentages for , and species. Darkness decreased the germination percentage of winged and naked seeds of , however, for and , decreased seed germination was only when the winged perianth existed. Germination of , and seeds depended on the perianth and light conditions. The naked seeds of these three species could germinate at a wide range of temperatures, especially in light. The presence of perianth, light, and temperature did not significantly influence the germination of seeds. When cultivating these species, it is beneficial to remove the winged perianth of seeds and sow it on the soil surface when the temperature is above 5/15°C. In addition, seed germination of displayed high tolerance to salinity and drought. Compared with winged seeds, naked seeds showed lower recovery germination under high salinity but had a similar recovery of germination under high PEG concentration. Our study provides detailed germination information for the cultivation of these four representative species in degraded saline soils of the arid zone.