The site effect on germinability of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) achenes

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) extremely spreads on uncultivated agricultural land and expands to arable land. Three sites were chosen in the local area of Uherské Hradiště: field (arable land), balk (adjacent to arable land) and rubble heap (distant from arable land). At each site, 50 plants were selected from which mature achenes were collected in 2002 and 2003. The achenes germinated in a laboratory at a room temperature and were subjected to various germination conditions. A part of them was exposed to the temperature of – 20 °C in a freezer, the other part was stored at a room temperature. The germination was carried out either on filter paper in Petri dishes or in 30 mm layer of siliceous sand. One part of the achenes germinated in daylight, the other part in Petri dishes in the dark. The achenes cultivated in siliceous sand were covered with a 5 mm layer of the sand. The results were statistically assessed using Unistat software, analysis of variance and methods of least significant differences (LSD). Total average germinability of mugwort achenes was 67,7 %. The differences in germinability of frozen (66,7 %) and non-frozen (72,6 %) achenes were not statistically significant. Germinability of the achenes that matured in 2003 (69,9 %) was highly significantly higher than that of the achenes matured in 2002 (65,4 %). The achenes germinated highly significantly more (77,9 %) in daylight as compared with those germinated in the dark (57,4 %). Germinability of the achenes that germinated in siliceous sand was highly significantly higher (70,7 %) than of those that germinated in Petri dishes (64,7 %). Germinability of the achenes matured in the field (64,1 %) was significantly lower in comparison with the germinability of the achenes from a balk (69,7 %) and rubble heap (69,2 %). The results of germinability of the achenes that matured in a rubble heap and balk did not significantly differ.