Estimating the cardinal temperatures of germination for Ipomoea hederaceae and Cleome viscosa at constant and alternating temperature conditions

Extended abstract: Introduction: Reports indicate the invasion of two species of Ivy-leaved morning-glory (Ipomoea hederaceae Jacq) and Asian spider flower (Cleome viscosa L.) to summer crops fields such as soybeans in Golestan province. Considering the importance of knowing the cardinal temperatures of germination in the models for predicting the presence of weeds and consequently designing correct management strategies on these plants, this experiment was conducted to study the germination behavior and to compare the cardinal temperatures of germination for two species of Ivy-leaved morning-glory and Asian spider flower under two conditions of constant and alternating temperatures. Materials and Methods: In order to study the effects of constant and alternating temperature on the percent, rate and estimating cardinal temperature of germination for Ivy-leaved morning glory and Asian spider flower, two separate experiments as a Completely Randomized Design with four replications were carried out at the seed laboratory of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Studied temperature treatments on Ivy-leaved morning glory included the constant temperatures of 10,15,17,20,25,30,35 and 40 oC and alternating temperatures of 12.5:7.5,10:15, 12.5:20, 15:25, 20:30, 25:37.5, 30:42.5 and 35:45 oC. Temperature treatments on Asian spider flower included the constant temperatures of 15, 20, 23, 25, 28, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 o C and alternating temperatures of 15:20, 20:25, 20:30, 25:30, 25:35, 30:40, 30:45, 30:50 and 40:50 oC. Results: Results indicated that alternating temperatures had a positive effect on the germination of Ivy-leaved morning glory, which increased from 78% at constant temperatures to 94% at alternative temperatures. However, the maximum germination percentage of Asian spiderflower at the alternative temperature of 20:30 was 79%, which had no significant difference with a constant temperature of 30 with 84% germination. The base temperature for seed germination of Ivy-leaved morning glory at alternating temperatures (10.09 oC) was a little lower than that of constant temperatures (11.25 oC). But in Asian spider flower, the base temperature at alternating temperatures (17.57 oC) was more than that of constant temperatures (15.43 o C). Conclusion: The most important factor in the occurrence of such different responses to constant and alternating temperatures in Ivy-leaved morning glory and Asian spider flower is their adaptation to environmental conditions and their survival in highly degraded agricultural environments. These two weeds are warm-season plants and their seeds enter the soil seed bank in autumn. The presence of dormancy (regardless of its type) in the seeds of these two plants prevents the germination of their seeds in winter; and the experience of alternating temperatures at this time prepares the seeds for germination in the spring. The base temperature of Ivy-leaved morning glory was not much different under the constant and alternating temperature conditions. But the base temperature of Asian spider flower was higher under alternating temperatures compared with constant temperatures.   Highlights: 1- The Response of germination percentage of Ivy-leaved morning-glory and Asian spider flower were investigated under constant and alternating temperatures. 2- Cardinal temperatures of germination for these two weeds were compared at constant and alternating temperature conditions.