The effect of fruit age on seed germinability of a heterocarpic species, Atriplex sagittata

Atriplex sagittata is an annual heterocarpic plant that produces three different fruit types (termed A, B, and C). To examine the consequence of heterocarpy on germinability patterns over long time periods, we compared seed germinability of different fruit types that had been stored for up to 8 years. While germinability of non-dormant type C fruits in distilled water was high (up to 100 %) in the first 2 years, it rapidly decreased over time. Dormant fruit types A and B showed increased germinability up to 7 years, though loss of germinability was lower for type B than for type A fruits. Eight-year-old fruits of all types had significantly lower germinability than younger fruits, probably due to loss of viability. Heterocarpy, therefore, ensures that emergence rates for seedlings of A. sagittata will be maintained over relatively long periods, even in years of strong disturbance when all adult plants may be destroyed. The experiment further showed that germinability of all fruit types in high concentrations of salt, as compared with water treatment, changed over the course of 8 years. Whilst dormant types (A and B) of A. sagittata show increased germinability with age of the seed in water treatment, they significantly lose germinability over time with salinity treatment. Type C fruit was not influenced by salt in the first year, but germinability rapidly decreased with time. It follows that the species is able to germinate under high salt concentration in the first year, but this advantage gradually disappears.