New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts

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Potential of Cytisus and allied genera (Genisteae: Fabaceae) as forage shrubs
1. Seed germination and agronomy

FERNANDO GONZáLEZ-ANDRÉS
JESúS MARíA ORTIZ

Departamento de Biología Vegetal
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros
Agrónomos
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
28040 Madrid, Spain

Abstract  The potential adaptability of 19 shrubby legume species belonging to the genus Cytisus and allied genera (Cytisophyllum, Chamaecytisus, and Genista sect. Teline) for arid regions was studied. Twenty-eight accessions were assessed for germination level, field survival, height and diametrical growth, and dry matter yields. All accessions had high germination, often over 80%, when seeds were scarified with sulphuric acid for 40 min. Two germination temperatures were tested: constant 16deg.C and alternating 21/16deg.C. Optimum temperature varied according to the different species. Cytisophyllum sessilifolium, Cytisus purgans, Cytisus villosus, and Chamaecytisus sp. pl. had more rapid and higher germination at 21/16deg.C compared with at 16deg.C. In the field, Genista canariensis and G. monspessulana had the highest growth, and survival around 80%. Chamaecytisus accessions showed the highest survival and an intermediate growth. Cytisophyllum sessilifolium, Cytisus heterochrous, Cytisus villosus, and G. linifolia presented intermediate growth as well, and survival around 75%, whereas the rest of the Cytisus accessions as well as G. tenera, presented very low survival rates.

Keywords  Cytisophyllum; Cytisus; Genista; Chamaecytisus; Teline; seed germination; field survival; height growth; diametrical growth; dry matter yield

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1996, Vol. 39: 195-204

0028-8233/96/3902-0195 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1996

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (822K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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