Botany, Ahead of Print.
Understanding variation of seed germination in wild populations can assist restoration projects through improved seed source selection. Recruitment of artificially distributed seed can be improved by selecting for suitable dormancy and germination characteristics. We investigated seed germination and emergence responses of three Astragalus sieberi DC. (Fabaceae) populations (Abdali, Liya, and Salmi) to in situ storage for five months at depths of 0 and 5 cm, pre-sowing hydration for 12 and 24 hours, and chemical scarification with concentrated sulfuric acid for 5, 10, and 15 min. The germination percentage was low for freshly collected seed (<3%) from Abdali and Salmi, though in situ storage partially enhanced germination. Pre-sowing hydration did not affect seedling emergence, but acid scarification effectively broke seed dormancy. The longest scarification treatment of 15 min produced the greatest seedling emergence, though populations responded differently. Our results indicate that selection of maternal, native seed sources can improve revegetation projects in desert areas. Knowledge of inter-population variation can improve the understanding of the mechanisms regulating seed germination, thus optimizing restoration projects by selecting optimal seed sources.

中文翻译：

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母源影响稀有阿拉伯沙漠物种（黄芪）的种子发芽

植物学，提前印刷。
了解野生种群中种子发芽的变化可以通过改进种子来源选择来协助恢复项目。可以通过选择合适的休眠和萌发特性来改善人工分布种子的招募。我们调查了三个黄芪DC的种子发芽和出苗响应。（Fabaceae）种群（Abdali，Liya和Salmi）在0和5 cm的深度就地存储五个月，播种前水化12和24小时，并用浓硫酸进行化学划痕5、10和15分钟 尽管原位贮藏可部分提高发芽率，但从阿卜杜勒和萨尔米市新鲜采集的种子（<3％）的发芽率很低。播种前的水合作用不会影响幼苗的出苗，但是酸稀疏有效地打破了种子的休眠状态。最长的划痕处理15分钟产生了最大的幼苗出苗，尽管种群的反应不同。我们的结果表明，选择母本，本地种子源可以改善沙漠地区的植被恢复项目。种群间变异的知识可以增进对调节种子发芽的机制的了解，从而通过选择最佳种子来源来优化恢复项目。