Seed germination of the halophyte Anabasis setifera (Amaranthaceae) from Saudi Arabia.

The main objective of this study was to determine the effects of temperature, light/darkness, and salinity (NaCl) on seed germination of Anabasis setifera Moq. and the effects of alleviating salinity stress using distilled water. One-hundred percent of seeds completed germination at 15/5, 20/10, and 20 °C, and a higher percentage of seeds completed germinationin light than in the dark at 20/10 and 25/15°C. The percentage of seeds that completed the germination decreased as salinity increased from 0 to 700 mM NaCl. Seeds that did not complete germination in the 800 or 700 mM NaCl solutions completed its germination after being transferred to distilled water, with a recovery rate of 94.5% and 75.5%, respectively, at 25/15 °C. The inhibitory effect of NaCl on the completion of germination in this species probably occurs via an osmotic effect.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author