
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gramshaw, D 
T1  - Germination of annual ryegrass seeds (<I>Lolium rigidum</I> Gaud.) as influenced by temperature, light, storage environment, and age
JF  - Australian Journal of Agricultural Research
JO  - Aust. J.  Agric. Res.
Y1  - 1972
VL  - 23
IS  - 5
SP  - 779
EP  - 787
KW  - 
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1071/AR9720779 
N2  - Germination of Lolium rigidum seeds, in the light (12 hr day length) and in the dark, at constant temperatures of 12, 18, and 24&#176;C and an alternating temperature of 24/12&#176; (12 / 12 hr), was studied in freshly harvested seeds and in seeds stored for 18 weeks. In freshly harvested seeds the highest germinability (80&#37;) was recorded at 12&#176; in either light or dark and at 24/12&#176; in the light. After 18 weeks' storage, a germinability of between 95 and 100% was observed at 12&#176; and 24/12&#176; in the dark and at 24&#176; and 24/12&#176; in the light. In another experiment in which seeds from a different source were used, seeds kept in six different environments and recovered at 3-weekly intervals during a 21 week post-harvest period were examined for germinability and germination rate. The six environments were: storage in a room, storage in a 60/15&#176;C temperature cabinet, and four field treatments in which seeds were buried 0.2 and 1.0 cm under both a bare and a mulched soil surface. Germination was tested in the light and in the dark at an alternating temperature of 24/12&#176;. Major increases in seed germinability with age occurred during the first 9 weeks after harvest. The different environments influenced the relationship between seed age and germinability only during the first 9 weeks. Seeds located 0.2 cm beneath either a bare or a mulched soil surface during summer germinated at a faster rate than seeds kept in the other environments. These findings are discussed in relation to the germination behaviour of seeds in the field. 
ER  -

