Seed Polymorphism and Germination of Salsola korshinskyi Drob

Sahola korshinskyi.widely distributed in Junggar Desert,has a strong drought and salt-tolerance capacity.We studied the seed polymorphism characteristics and seed germination of Sahola korshinskyi.It produces three types of fruits(utricles) that differ markedly in shape,size,mass,wing and external structure.Type A fruits are spherical and tawny,with long wings. Type B fruits are spherical and tawny,with short wings.Type C fruits have no wings.All of the three types of seeds germinated in incubators with 12 h photoperiod and 12 h thermo-periods(dark/light) of 0℃/10℃,5℃/15℃10℃/25℃,20℃/35℃for 20 d.Germination percentages of type A seeds were the highest at all four thermo-periods.Germination percentages of type B seeds were lower than type A,and higher than type C.Dark condition restrained the germination most significantly for type A.Refrigeration promoted germination of type A and type B.and had no significant effect on type C.Germination percentages were high when the burial depths were 0 cm and 1cm,and increasing burial depth reduced the germination percentage.The seed germination could not respond to 3 mm of rainfall,and the highest seedling emergence occurred at 20 mm rainfall.Conclusion: the seeds of Sahola korshinskyi Drob are sensitive not to temperature but to rainfall.This germination strategy is significant for the plant to adapt to the desert environment with drought and precipitation heterogeneity fluctuations.