Effect of Acidity on Germination and Seedling Growth of Paulownia tomentosa

(1) Seed germination and seedling growth of Paulownia tomentosa were evaluated over a pH range of 1.5-7.0 to determine the species' suitability for use in the reclamation of acidic strip-mine environments. (2) No seed germination occurred below pH 4.0, and seedling emergence was significantly r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of applied ecology 1988-08, Vol.25 (2), p.561-567
Main Authors: Turner, Gregory D., Lau, Robyne R., Young, Donald R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acid soils
Acidity
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germination
Paulownia tomentosa
Plants and fungi
Root growth
Seed germination
Seedling emergence
Seedling growth
Seedlings
Seeds
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Summary:(1) Seed germination and seedling growth of Paulownia tomentosa were evaluated over a pH range of 1.5-7.0 to determine the species' suitability for use in the reclamation of acidic strip-mine environments. (2) No seed germination occurred below pH 4.0, and seedling emergence was significantly reduced in soil of pH 4.5. Further, seedling growth was depressed in soil of pH 4.5, with significantly lower root length, leaf number and root and shoot dry mass, when compared with seedlings grown on soils of pH 5.5 and 6.5. (3) Although P. tomentosa invades strip-mine sites, measurements of the effect of acidity on seed germination and seedling growth suggest that only less acidic microsites may be habitable.
ISSN:0021-8901
1365-2664
DOI:10.2307/2403844