Effect of environmental factors on seed germination of Limonium aureum

The effect of temperature, light, water, salt, and burial depth on seed germination of Limonium aureum was analyzed. The results indicated that: 1) Temperature, light and their interaction significantly affected L. aureum seed germination (P<0.001). Germination percentage and germination rate increased initially and then decreased with increasing temperature, and reached the highest when the temperature was 25, 30, and 20/30 ℃. When the temperature was 35 and 40 ℃, light promoted seed germination of L. aureum significantly (P<0.05), whereas light showed no effect at other temperatures (P>0.05); 2) With increasing drought and salt stress, germination percentage and germination rate of L. aureum decreased gradually. The median lethal concentrations of drought resistance and salt tolerance for L. aureum were -0.64 and -0.84 MPa (0.201 mol·L-1), respectively. When osmotic potential was low, seeds under salt stress germinated better than those under drought stress; 3) The optimal sowing depth of L. aureum seeds was 0.5 cm.; therefore, these seeds are possibly suitable for shallow seedling.