A Comparative Analysis of Dormancy and Germination of Arable Herb Seeds of Different Origins

Arable herbs rank among Europe's most endangered species groups, calling for active conservation efforts to prevent their extinction. However, wild populations often cannot supply enough seeds for sustainable propagation, requiring seeds from botanical gardens or commercial producers instead. Yet, such ex situ plant populations can exhibit signs of significantly reduced long-term fitness, including increased germination rate and reduced dormancy. We studied eight arable herbs with respect to changes in their germination behavior under ex situ conservation and cultivation. We conducted germination experiments with seeds of different origins (wild, conservation, cultivation) in climate chambers. Germination tests were divided into two temperature regimes simulating sowing in autumn and spring. Our results show that four species (<i>Bupleurum rotundifolium</i>, <i>Cota tinctoria</i>, <i>Legousia speculum-veneris</i> and <i>Petrorhagia prolifera</i>) confirm the assumption that conservation and cultivation management reduce dormancy and increase germination rate. Two species (<i>Agrostemma githago</i> and <i>Silene noctiflora</i>) showed increased germination rate in non-wild populations, and another two (<i>Ranunculus arvensis</i> and <i>Scandix pecten-veneris</i>) behaved in the opposite way, showing increased dormancy and reduced germination rate in non-wild populations. These findings highlight the importance of preserving trait variability in ex situ populations and should be taken into account when planning restoration measures for segetal flora.