I am planning on doing seed release experiments of grey sallow willow seeds.
However, grey sallow is invasive in Australia, so I want to make seeds non-viable to avoid the possibility of them germinating and adding to the problem. I am wary of doing this using high temperatures though, in case this damages the pappus.
Can anyone advise what the best way of doing this is? Perhaps moderately high temperatures (~45C) or irradiation?
I've attached a picture that gives an idea of what these seeds are like - very small (around 1mm) with a fluffy exterior.
What about microwaving the seeds, then doing a trial germination experiment? I think you would need to do it so that the seeds actually 'boil' rather than just burst open, which might stimulate germination :)
Yeah that might work, thanks for the suggestion! Much easier than locating a radiation source too!
If you just want prevent seeds from germinating you can apply ABA. It will prevent seeds from germination but do not kill the seed and pappus. However, you have to find out the dose of ABA using a pre-trail. you can start with treating the seeds with 500 ppm ABA.
ABA - Abscisic acid.
Dear Catherine,
I understood that you want to verify the effects of the pappus on seed dispersion. Is it true? In my reading: the pappus is the focus of your work. Well, first, we have to know about the system of double-fertilization, because the aim is avoiding seed fertilization, and in this case you will have empty fruit-like seeds as I saw in the image attached to the question. I did a fast survey, and it seems to me that the plant has male and female flowers. Is it true? If this is your case, you can eliminate the male flowers. In Asteraceae that is my expertise, if you avoid bees for pollination, it is possible to have empty fruit-like seeds. Thus, you have to wait for the time of natural dispersion when the botanical structure is collected for your experiment. I hope this information can help you. Best regards, Walter
Dear Catherine,
I am back. You can made a survey in the flowering plants under field conditions and search in the inflorescence for empty fruit-like seeds. My best regards. Walter
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