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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2012, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (10): 2625-2631.

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Effects of light quality on the seed germination of main tree species in a secondary forest ecosystem of Northeast China.

ZHANG Min1,2,3, ZHU Jiao-jun1,2, YAN Qiao-ling1,2,3   

  1. (1State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, China; 2Qingyuan Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; 3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)
  • Online:2012-10-18 Published:2012-10-18

Abstract: This paper explored the effects of light quality on the seed germination of five dominant tree species (Larix kaempferi, Phellodendron amurense, Acer mono, Fraxinus mandshurica, andPinus koraiensis) in a secondary forest ecosystem of Northeast China, based on the experiments with the seeds of the five tree species in laboratory and those of the P. koraiensis and L. kaempferi in the field. Four treatments of different light quality were designed in laboratory (taking dark as the control), and three treatments of R/FR (the ratio of red light and far red light intensity) were installed in the field. The laboratory experiment showed that light quality had less effect on the seed germination of L. kaempferi, but the seed germination rates of the other four tree species were significantly different under the treatments of different light quality. P. amurense had the highest seed germination rate under white light, whereas A. mono, F. mandshurica, and P. koraiensis had the highest one under the alternative irradiation with red light and far red light (R-FR-R). In consistence with the results in laboratory, the seed germination rate of P. koraiensis in the field decreased with decreasing R/FR ratio, while that of L. kaempferi was less affected. Under natural condition, the R-FR-R fluctuated with the activity of sun-fleck, and the seed germination patterns of A. mono, F. mandshurica, and P. koraiensis could be the adaptation to the sunfleck environment in forest stand. The germination of large seeds was significantly affected by light quality.