Light induced dormancy in Bromus sterilis.
Abstract
Seeds of Bromus sterilis overwintered outdoors on the panicle were dormant the following spring, whereas seeds stored indoors germinated rapidly. The dormancy was probably enforced by light but the persistence of dormancy when seeds were placed in good germinating conditions in the dark showed that it could also be induced. The significance of this unusual property is discussed in relation to the survival of the sp. in hedgerows and its development as a weed of autumn sown cereals established by direct drilling or minimum tillage methods.