Data and R code for the manuscript "Temperature, light and temporal variation shape germination of the declining arable weed Centaurea cyanus"

This repository contains the datasets and R script associated with the manuscript entitled“Temperature, light and temporal variation shape germination of the declining arable weed Centaurea cyanus”. The data derive from germination experiments conducted on seeds of Centaurea cyanus collected in northeastern Italy from two sites, in two collecting years and at different collecting dates. The study assessed the effects of incubation temperature, light conditions, collecting year, collecting site and collecting date on seed germination, with the aim of improving knowledge of the germination ecology of this arable plant species and supporting conservation practice. The repository provides two datasets and one R script. One CSV dataset contains the main germination experiment testing seed germination across different temperature treatments, collecting years, collecting dates and collecting sites. Variables include site, collecting date, temperature, replicate, number of sown seeds, number of filled seeds excluding empty seeds, number of germinated seeds, number of empty seeds, collecting year and germination percentage. A second CSV dataset contains the light/dark germination experiment conducted at 15 °C, including treatment, replicate, number of sown seeds, number of filled seeds excluding empty seeds, number of germinated seeds, number of empty seeds and germination percentage. One R script reproduces the statistical workflow used in the manuscript. It includes data preparation, generalized linear models with binomial error distribution and logit link function, model checking, analysis of deviance tables, post-hoc comparisons and figures for both the temperature/date/site/year experiment and the light/dark experiment. A README file provides detailed descriptions of each dataset and variable, together with notes on file structure and data import. Please cite as:D'Agostino, M., Silvia, A., Vuerich, M., Boscutti, F., & Abeli, T. (2026). Data and R code for the manuscript “Temperature, light and temporal variation shape germination of the declining arable weed Centaurea cyanus” [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20268346