Adaptability and Germination Characteristics of Volunteer Wheat in China’s Main Wheat-Producing Areas

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Volunteer wheat is commonly found in the main wheat-producing areas of China and impacts cultivated wheat production. This study’s aim was evaluating the effects of environmental conditions on the adaptability and germination of volunteer wheat grains. Our results showed that volunteer wheat was more adaptable to low temperatures of 5 °C and was poorly adaptable to high temperatures of above 30 °C. Volunteer wheat was more adaptable to higher salinity and lower osmotic potential than cultivated wheat. The secondary germination ability of volunteer wheat was also higher than that of cultivated wheat after water immersion. The deep tillage of cultivated land could effectively prevent the spread of volunteer wheat. Our study provides a basis for future studies concerning the control of volunteer wheat. ABSTRACT: Volunteer wheat commonly occurs and spreads rapidly in the main wheat-producing areas of China, seriously impacting cultivated wheat production. Limited information is currently available regarding the adaptability and germination traits of volunteer wheat. Therefore, this study’s aim was to evaluate the effects of environmental conditions on the germination and emergence of volunteer wheat seeds through laboratory experiments. The results showed that the germination percentages and viability of volunteer wheat were significantly higher than those of cultivated wheat at a low temperature of 5 °C, and they were lower than those of cultivated wheat at high temperatures of above 30 °C. Compared to cultivated wheat, volunteer wheat was able to tolerate higher salinity and lower osmotic potential, especially long-dormancy volunteer wheat. The secondary germination ability of volunteer wheat was higher than that of cultivated wheat after water immersion. Furthermore, volunteer wheat could not emerge normally when the seeding depth was greater than 8 cm, and the emergence ability of the volunteer wheat was weaker than that of the cultivated wheats when the seeding depth was 4–8 cm, which indicates that the deep tillage of cultivated land could effectively prevent the spread of volunteer wheat. This study revealed differences in the germination characteristics of volunteer wheat and cultivated wheat under the influence of different environmental factors, which provides a basis for future studies concerning the control of volunteer wheat.