Seed germination ecology of Rouya polygama

What is it about?

This research investigated the seed germination of Rouya polygama (Apiaceae). The aim of this study was that to compare seed germination from Sardinian (four) and Corsican (two) populations. Moreover, the salt tolerance in seed germination was evauated sowing seeds on substrates with different NaCl concentrations and testing the germination recovery, simulating in the laboratory the effect of autumnal rains which occur in the field.

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Why is it important?

R. polygama is a psammophilous species, growing on coastal sandy dunes of Sardinia, Corsica, Algeria and Tunisia (Santo et al., 2013). It is inserted in the ‘Washington Convention’ (CITES), in Annex I of the ‘Bern Convention’ and in Annex II of the ‘Habitat Directive 92/43/EEC’. However, no information was available on seed germination of R. polygama and on the key factors stimulating its germination, the response to salinity and recovery, and inter-population variability for this species.