Abstract: Seed germination and growth characteristics of Suaeda salsa in the Yellow River Delta coastal wetlands were studied using seeds with different storage ages, aiming to provide scientific data for the restoration of S. salsa communities based on soil seed bank in the coastal wetlands. The vigor of S. salsa seeds significantly decreased with seed storage age (P<0.05), informing a decrease in germination percentage and germination rate. The germination percentage and rate of S. salsa seeds showed a linear decrease with seed storage age at the same salinity level, while the germination percentage showed a linear decrease with salinity levels at the same storage age of seeds. The experiment of plant growth showed that the seedling emergence rate of S. salsa seeds with a shorter storage age was higher than that with a longer storage age. The density of S. salsa plants tended to decrease with seed storage ages, but the height, water content, fresh weight and dry weight of individual plant were not significantly different. The total biomass of S. salsa per unit area was significantly different (P<0.05). Our results indicates that in the future restoration of S. salsa communities in coastal wetlands, restoration programs for S. salsa communities should be developed considering the degradation time of the coastal wetlands. Our results can provide theoretical support and scientific reference for ecological restoration of coastal wetlands, to achieve the objectives of reducing restoration costs, improving restoration efficiency, and accelerating the restoration process.

Key words: Suaeda salsa, germination percentage, salt stress, Yellow River Delta, coastal wetland.