Seed germination of five Prosopis shrub species (Fabaceae-Mimosoideae) from the Monte and Patagonia phytogeographic provinces of Argentina

Abstract

The Patagonian species of the genus Prosopis exhibit distinctive features such as their shrub growth pattern. However, morphological or physiological differences among them have been poorly studied (e.g., germination). Considering this lack of information, we studied five Prosopis species from two different phytogeographic provinces: Monte and Patagonia. Particularly, we focused on the southern area of the Monte province and the Payunia District of the Patagonian province. We evaluated the effects of pre-germination treatments such as acid scarification using two different exposure times on these Prosopis species. The effectiveness of the treatments was related to the phytogeographic origin of the shrubs. The endemic species of Payunia District (Patagonia phytogeographic province) required longer times of acid scarification than those from the southern area of the Monte. In general, acid scarification resulted in high and homogeneous germination percentages. Our results provide useful information that contributes to improve the protocols necessary for the production of a high number of seedlings, which is required for successful restoration projects.