Characterization of the Germination Responses of Silene dioica (L.) Clairv., Populations from Europe

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Abstract
Germination tests were done on 20 populations of Silene dioica collected in different parts of Europe. Seeds collected from wild plants and from their progeny growing at R.B.G. Kew, were tested using both freshly harvested and stored seeds. Responses were compared from tests done on thermo-gradient bars and in incubators to examine germination and after-ripening processes between c. 2-c. 45 °C. The responses of different populations were characterized by identifying variations due to the proportions of dormant seeds, the maximum and minimum temperatures favouring germination, and the time course of germination at particular temperatures of freshly shed and stored seed. Germination and after-ripening responses of different populations displayed marked qualitative similarities, but differences in the degree of their expression resulted in statistically significant quantitative differences which could sometimes be correlated with features of the geographical distribution of the populations. The results are discussed in relation to the occurrence of this species in a well-defined natural habitat in Europe, and it is concluded that they represent a situation in which fundamentally similar control patterns underlying the responses of every population examined are modulated quantitatively to produce variations in the number of seeds germinating at particular seasons or remaining dormant within the soil.

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