干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The Aizoon hispanicum L. is a common desert annual but its seeds have a low percentage germination in the laboratory (at 30 degrees C in the dark on one sheet of filter paper). Soil in the same box, without direct contact with the seed dishes, caused up to 60% of the seeds to germinate. This suggests that a gas from the soil stimulated the A. hispanicum seeds to germinate. Another way to increase germination of these seeds was to put a cover over the seeds in the germinating dishes placed in closed boxes for a few days, and then to uncover the seeds. About 50% of the seeds in the uncovered dishes in the same boxes then germinated. This suggested that the covered seeds secreted a gas which made the continuously uncovered seeds germinate. The germination of seeds that had been covered was stimulated to a lesser extent, yet still to a greater degree than the control which consisted of a box in which none of the seeds were covered. The gas could be ethylene.