Germination Limits Survival of Trithrinax campestris (Palm Tree) in Argentina

Between 1934 and 2010, the palm tree T. campestris population in Entre Ríos province (Argentina) decreased significantly, mainly due to the advance of the agricultural frontier. The aims of this work were to analyze this dramatic geographic decrease of T. campestris and to study the endogenous and exogenous factors that determine its low germination percentage and limited survival. Our results showed that factors limiting T. campestris population growth even under protected areas destined to field bovine production include the soil chemical properties (fields with T. campestris plants had lower pH, EC and sodium concentration and lower OM, concentrations of minerals and CEC values than those without palm plants) and the solute leakage during seed imbibition. When T. campestris seeds were incubated for germination at both 25° and 35°C for one year, none of this seeds germinated; however, seed viability was significantly high at the end of the imbibition period. The rainfall changes associated with the Global Climate Change occurred since the 1970s would also limit the survival of this palm in its native environment.