Articles
STUDY OF GERMINATION CHARACTERISTICS FOR GERMPLASM PROTECTION AND EXPLOITATION OF SOME BROOMS PRESENT IN SICILY (ITALY)
Article number
898_8
Pages
77 – 80
Language
English
Abstract
With the common name of Brooms are usually referred any of several leguminous shrubs or small trees with solitary or clustered yellow flowers resemble pea flowers.
In the Italian territory, the true Brooms are represented by the Tribe Genisteae (Adans.) Benth. with the genus Genista L., Spartium L. and Retama Boiss, according to the taxonomic scheme of Talavera and Salgueiro (1999). Their distribution area is Europe, Asia and Northern Africa.
The genus Genista in Italy is represented by approximately forty entities, some of them endemic.
The monospecific genus Spartium is wide represented by Spartium junceum. The genus Retama is present in Italian territory with one species R. raetam, exclusively represented by the subspecies gussonei. Different research activities of CRA SFM, have been focused on conservation and exploitation of autochthonous germplasm of Sicilian coastal areas, because this environment reveals the extreme vulnerability of the species that lives in.
In this context, study about seed propagation plays an important role for the conservation of native flora.
Germination in vivo and in vitro and acclimatization trials have been carried out in order to increase knowledge on germoplasm preservation of different Sicilian brooms: Genista aspalathoides Lam., G. tyrrhena Valsecchi, Retama raetam subsp. gussonei (Webb) Heywood.
With the aim to describe variation in germination characteristics: final germination percentage (FGP) and mean germination time (MGT) within and among species, seeds have been scarified with concentrated sulphuric acid (96%) and sown on different substrates.
The results showed the positive effect of scarification, especially in a short time duration.
A collec¬tion field was realized, ex situ, for the seedlings in order to study the exploitation of the species during development and preservation programs.
In the Italian territory, the true Brooms are represented by the Tribe Genisteae (Adans.) Benth. with the genus Genista L., Spartium L. and Retama Boiss, according to the taxonomic scheme of Talavera and Salgueiro (1999). Their distribution area is Europe, Asia and Northern Africa.
The genus Genista in Italy is represented by approximately forty entities, some of them endemic.
The monospecific genus Spartium is wide represented by Spartium junceum. The genus Retama is present in Italian territory with one species R. raetam, exclusively represented by the subspecies gussonei. Different research activities of CRA SFM, have been focused on conservation and exploitation of autochthonous germplasm of Sicilian coastal areas, because this environment reveals the extreme vulnerability of the species that lives in.
In this context, study about seed propagation plays an important role for the conservation of native flora.
Germination in vivo and in vitro and acclimatization trials have been carried out in order to increase knowledge on germoplasm preservation of different Sicilian brooms: Genista aspalathoides Lam., G. tyrrhena Valsecchi, Retama raetam subsp. gussonei (Webb) Heywood.
With the aim to describe variation in germination characteristics: final germination percentage (FGP) and mean germination time (MGT) within and among species, seeds have been scarified with concentrated sulphuric acid (96%) and sown on different substrates.
The results showed the positive effect of scarification, especially in a short time duration.
A collec¬tion field was realized, ex situ, for the seedlings in order to study the exploitation of the species during development and preservation programs.
Publication
Authors
S. Aprile, M. Airò, G.V. Zizzo, S. Lazzara, C. Trapani, G. Giardina
Keywords
vulnerable species, endemism, germination, scarification
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