The effect of seed size on seedling growth and drought tolerance of the restoration shrub Caragana korshinskii Kom. in China

Abstract

We investigated the effects of seed size on drought tolerance of the seedlings of Caragana korshinskii Kom., a shrub commonly used for dune revegetation in China. Although seedlings from small seeds (20-37 mg) weighed at the most approximately 60% of those from large seeds (73-90 mg) , their growth was not inhibited by drought stress. Because seedlings from small seeds had smaller but less-branched and well-elongated roots, maximum rooting depth differed little amongst seed sizes. We concluded that the drought tolerance of C. korshinskii seedlings differed little among seed sizes because of their high root elongation ability.