Figure 1.

Dormancy cycling throughout the seasons.

(a) Germination percentages of the six genotypes (four replicates per genotype). Seeds were exhumed from the field and analysed in the laboratory. The bar chart to the right indicates the primary dormancy levels of these genotypes, expressed as DSDS50 (days of seeds dry storage required to reach 50% germination) values.

(b) The temperature of the soil at 5 cm depth (red, data from buried sensors) and the precipitation in mm (blue) at the time of the field experiment.

(c) The germination capacity of the six genotypes when germinated at 22°C (blue), at 22°C with additional nitrate (deep blue) and at the outside temperature (red) at the moment of exhumation. The temperature in the soil over time is shown in grey. Coloured blocks indicate the seasons: blue, winter; green, spring; yellow, summer; and red, autumn.