Physiological and Ecological Studies on the Seed Dormancy of Dominant Weed Species in Korea

The seed dormancy of weed species is the important mechanisms to unfavorable conditions but it brings about critical problems in weed control. The factors which induced dormancy were varied with species and their physiological conditions. More than 20 of 50 species of dominant weed species showed the seed dormancy. When several physical treatments were given to seeds to break the dormancy, each species showed the different responses. The germination percentage and germination velocity were increased with alternating temperature. The treatment of more than 4 weeks of stratification had strong effect on dormancy breaking. The activities of germinating seeds were increased in proportional to the period of stratification treatment of dormant seeds. The contents of soluble protein and soluble sugar were changed slightly with stratification.