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This study examined dispersal units, caryopsis size groups, the inhibitory effect of loess soil on germination and the rate of germination of Schismus arabicus caryopses. Germination of small batches of the seeds from the large, long-lasting soil seed bank of S. arabicus contributes to its success as a very common annual plant in large areas of the Negev, under the unpredictable small amounts and distribution of rain. The lower the percentage of germinating caryopses on local loess soil, and the faster the speed of germination (from 4 h) of caryopses that, do germinate, the higher is the chance of plants survival to reproduce. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd.