Seed Germination of 4 Ficus Species Under Drought Stress Simulated by PEG

0%, 5%, 10%, 20% and 25% PEG-4000 solutions were used to simulate drought stress conditions for the germination and growth of seedling in 4 Ficus species (Ficus racemosa, F.tinctoria, F.hispida, F.auriculata), which naturally grow in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, to explore the effect of drought stress and the difference of drought resistance among those 4 species. The results showed that drought has significant effect on the germination process for all species in our experiments. As the water stress aggravated, the germination rate, germination potential, germination index and vigor index all significantly declined for both F.auriculata and F.racemosa, while there was no significant relationship between PEG concentration and above indices for both F.tinctoria and F.hispida. The results of seedling growth showed that the radical and plumule length did not change with PEG concentration in F.tinctoria. For F.hispida and F.auriculata the radical length decreased with the water stress going up, while PEG concentration had significantly adverse effects on both radical and plumule length for F.racemosa. Furthermore, the effect of PEG concentration on different indices was significantly different among species.