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Effect of osmotic stress on Myrtus communis germination

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Abstract

The effects of water potential on germination were studied in four provenances of Myrtus from different bioclimatic zones in Tunisia. Water potential between 0 and −10 bars were obtained using polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG-6000) solutions. Seeds were planted in Petri dishes full of sterile perlite, and kept for one month under 1500 lux light with 16h photoperiod and at 25°C. A low water potential induced a reduction in germination percentage and germination speed. Significant variations between the provenances were found even under control conditions, especially at the speed germination level. The provenances from humid regions were the most susceptible to water stress, and their germination percentage showed significant reductions at −8 bars. These differences in germination ability of provenances might be attributed to intraspecific variations resulting from the effects of natural selection and genetic pool background.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d’Ecologie Forestière, Institut National de Recherches en Génie Rural, Eaux et Foręts, P.B. 10, 2080, Ariana, Tunisie

    Hamrouni Lamia, Khouja M. Larbi & Rejeb M. Néjib

  2. Institut Supérieur des Sciences Biologiques et Appliquées de Tunis, Tunis, Tunisie

    Souayah Naoufel

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  1. Hamrouni Lamia
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  2. Souayah Naoufel
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  3. Khouja M. Larbi
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  4. Rejeb M. Néjib
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Correspondence to Hamrouni Lamia.

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Lamia, H., Naoufel, S., Larbi, K.M. et al. Effect of osmotic stress on Myrtus communis germination. Biologia 67, 132–136 (2012). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-011-0140-0

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