The Effect of Temperature, Salinity and Soil Burial on Canary Grass (Phalaris minor) Germination

Canary grass (Phalaris minor) is a winter annual competitive weed in wheat crop. More research is needed to understand the germination requirement for this weed for better management decisions. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of temperature, salinity, pH, and soil burial on canary grass germination. Temperature had a significant effect on the germination percentage, rate and time to reach 50% of maximum germination percentage. The highest (95.5%) and lowest (0%) germination percentage occurred under 15/25 and 20/35oC (day/night), respectively. There was a decrease in germination as salinity increased. The germination percentage at a depth of 0 and 0.5 cm was found to be 95% and 93%, respectively. Overall, P. minor seedling emergence decreased with the increase in planting depth. The pH treatment had a significant impact on germination of canary grass. The maximum (96%) and minimum (30%) germination percentage of canary grass was observed at pHs 7 and 5, respectively.