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Asian Journal of Plant Sciences

Year: 2007 | Volume: 6 | Issue: 6 | Page No.: 962-966
DOI: 10.3923/ajps.2007.962.966
Interaction of Salinity and Temperature on the Germination of Doum (Hyphaene thebaica) Seed in Saudi Arabia
Yusef Saleh Siraj Ali

Abstract: A greenhouse experiment evaluated the effect of water salinity (electrical conductivity of 0.03, 12.0, 24.0 and 36.0 dS m-1) and temperature (15, 25, 30 and 35°C) on the germination of Doum (Hyphaene thebaica) seed over 2 weeks period. Treatment solutions were prepared using NaCl and CaCl2 in 2:1 molar ratio. Germination declined with increasing salinity at each counting date and salinity x temperature interactions were highly significant. Germination was severely limited at 15°C having only 18% germination in the control treatment (0.03 dS m-1). The temperature for optimum germination ranged between 25-35°C for all salinity treatments. The final cumulative germination percentage was highest at 25°C in most of the water salinity treatments. However, percent germination showed decreases on either side (25 and 35°C) of the optimum temperature range. The germination rate reduced drastically at 15°C in all water salinity treatments, with intermediate effect at 25 and 35°C at the lower salinity level, while decreasing with increasing salinity at all temperature. Overall the trend for the effect of temperature on reduction in germination rate index in different water salinity treatments in descending order is 15 > 45 >35 > 25°C. The results suggested that Doum seed is moderate to high tolerant to salinity stress during germination with temperature ranging between 25-35°C.

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How to cite this article
Yusef Saleh Siraj Ali , 2007. Interaction of Salinity and Temperature on the Germination of Doum (Hyphaene thebaica) Seed in Saudi Arabia. Asian Journal of Plant Sciences, 6: 962-966.

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