caa a22 4500 606220127 CHVBK 20210128101122.0 cr unu---uuuuu 210128e20150901xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11104-015-2487-4 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11104-015-2487-4 Does high pH give a reliable assessment of the effect of alkaline soil on seed germination? A case study with Leymus chinensis (Poaceae) [Elektronische Daten] [Hongyuan Ma, Haoyu Yang, Xiaotao Lü, Yuepeng Pan, Haitao Wu, Zhengwei Liang, Mark Ooi] Background and aims: Alkaline soils, characterized by high pH, are representative of degraded regions throughout the world. Studying germination in relation to alkalinity can contribute to understanding how species cope with such conditions. Although the effects of pH have been widely studied, it is unknown whether germination response to pH gradients created with buffer solutions is representative of the conditions experienced in alkaline soils. Our aims were to (1) determine if high pH gives an accurate assessment of the effects of alkaline soils on germination, and (2) identify the inhibitory factors for germination in alkaline soils. Methods: Using Leymus chinensis seeds, germination was tested over a gradient of pH solutions prepared using Tris (50mM and 100mM) and H2O buffers and eight germination media prepared from non-alkaline and alkaline soils with different pH and electrical conductivities (EC). Additionally, solutions of 10-100mM NaCl, Na2SO4, Na2CO3 and NaHCO3 were used to determine the main ions inhibiting seed germination. Results: H2O-buffered pH had no effect on seed germination, and seed germination was much lower at all pH levels in 50mM Tris-HCl solutions (pH7.0-10.35) than in the H2O control (pH7.05). No seeds germinated in 100mM Tris-HCl buffers irrespective of the pH. In alkaline germination media (pH10.04-10.61), high germination was obtained only at low EC. The rank order of the inhibitory effect of salts was Na2CO3 > NaHCO3 > NaCl > Na2SO4. Conclusions: Buffer solutions used to simulate alkaline environments did not provide a reliable indicator of the effects of alkaline soils on seed germination. High pH of alkaline soil had no negative effects, and results suggest that salt composition and concentration, especially CO3 2− and HCO3 −, are key inhibitors. Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2015 Alkaline soil nationallicence Buffer nationallicence Electrical conductivity nationallicence Soil pH nationallicence Vegetation restoration nationallicence Ma Hongyuan Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut Yang Haoyu Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut Lü Xiaotao State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 110164, Shenyang, China aut Pan Yuepeng State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry (LAPC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100029, Beijing, China aut Wu Haitao Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut Liang Zhengwei Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut Ooi Mark Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, 2522, New South Wales, Australia aut Plant and Soil Springer International Publishing 394/1-2(2015-09-01), 35-43 0032-079X 394:1-2<35 2015 394 11104 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2487-4 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2487-4 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ma Hongyuan Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Yang Haoyu Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Lü Xiaotao State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 110164, Shenyang, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pan Yuepeng State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry (LAPC), Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100029, Beijing, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Wu Haitao Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Liang Zhengwei Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 130102, Changchun, Jilin, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ooi Mark Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions, School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, 2522, New South Wales, Australia aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Plant and Soil Springer International Publishing 394/1-2(2015-09-01), 35-43 0032-079X 394:1-2<35 2015 394 11104