Physically damage tree/shrub seeds before sowing: freshwater wetlands

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

10%
Certainty

25%
Harms

20%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Damaging, weakening or softening the coating of seeds before planting can help to break seed dormancy and encourage germination. For species with physical dormancy, damage to the seed coat can increase its permeability to water and gases, which are essential for germination. For a database of seed dormancy class by species, see Baskin & Baskin (2014).

This action includes mechanically damaging seeds (e.g. by rubbing them with sandpaper or nicking them with a knife) and removing excess tissues from around the seed (e.g. the sac-like perigynia around sedge seeds). To be summarized as evidence for this action, studies must have explicitly compared the performance of treated and untreated seeds. Studies that simply report the performance of treated seeds are not summarized here. Studies do not have to be in flooded/saturated soils, as long as they involve wetland-characteristic species.

^{Baskin C.C. & Baskin J.M. (2014) Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Second Edition. Academic Press.}

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects – on trees/shrubs typical of freshwater wetlands – of physically damaging their seeds before sowing. The study was in a laboratory in the USA.

VEGETATION COMMUNITY

VEGETATION ABUNDANCE

VEGETATION STRUCTURE

OTHER

Germination/emergence (1 study): One replicated, controlled study in a laboratory in the USA found that cutting baldcypress Taxodium distichum seeds in half before sowing reduced their germination rate.
Growth (1 study): The same study found that cutting baldcypress Taxodium distichum seeds in half before sowing had no significant effect on the height of surviving seedlings, 30 days after germination.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, controlled study in 2004 in a laboratory in Florida, USA (Liu et al. 2009) found that cutting baldcypress Taxodium distichum seeds in half reduced their germination rate but had no significant effect on seedling growth. Seeds that had been cut in half had a lower germination rate (20% germinated) than whole seeds (48% germinated). After 30 days, there was no significant difference in the height of seedlings that had grown from cut seeds (8.3 cm) or whole seeds (8.3 cm). Methods: In August 2004, sixty baldcypress seeds were planted into trays of growing medium. All seeds had been stored at 4°C for four months before the experiment started, and soaked in distilled water for 24 h before planting. Thirty seeds (three replicates of 10 seeds) had also been cut in half with scissors before soaking. Germinated seedlings were transplanted to individual pots of growing medium and measured after 30 days.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Liu G., Li Y., Hedgepeth M., Wan Y. & Roberts R.E. (2009) Seed germination enhancement for bald cypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.]. Journal of Horticulture and Forestry, 1, 22-26.

Please cite as:

Taylor N.G., Grillas P., Smith R.K. & Sutherland W.J. (2021) Marsh and Swamp Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions to Conserve Marsh and Swamp Vegetation. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Marsh and Swamp Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Apply root dip to trees/shrubs before planting: freshwater wetlands Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link
Apply root dip to non-woody plants before planting: brackish/saline wetlands Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link
Prune roots of trees/shrubs before planting: freshwater wetlands Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	2	Synopsis Link