Investigation of the effective factors on Haloxylon sp. Seed germination

To study the effective factors on seed germination of Haloxylon, the effects of four different temperatures on several randomly selected Haloxylon aphyllum and H persicum trees, seeds were investigated. Then seeds were collected from three different positions, top, middle and down part of the trees crown of eight Haloxylon aphyllum and two H persicum which were randomly selected from Yazd province Haloxylon habitats. These were studied for seed germination percentage in five consecutive times with ten hours intervals. The first experiment revealed that not only the genotypes are significantly different for seed germination percentage and the temperatures have different effects on the seed germination of the studied genotypes and species but also there are significant interactions between the two factors, genotype and temperatures. As well as different capacity of seed germination between the trees, the second experiment showed that the seeds from different positions of the trees are significantly different in germination capacity. The seed collected from the top part of the trees germinated better than the seeds collected from lower parts of the trees. This experiment also revealed that the germination speed, between the two species are different and H.persicum germinates faster than H.aphyllum. Fast germination in Haloxylon aphyllum is considered as a way of adaptation to saltyJl1lddrought areas, so that, if enough moisture is prepared for the seeds in a short period, the seeds can germinate and establish very fast.