scholarly journals Causes and Breaking of Seed Dormancy in Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida L.)

HortScience ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041-1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailin Liu ◽  
Cunmeng Qian ◽  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Xiaoyan Zhang ◽  
Qiuyue Ma ◽  
...  

Cornus florida seeds show strong dormancy. In this study, we investigated the causes of the dormancy by assessing the permeability of the stony endocarp, the germination of seeds after mechanical dissection, and the effect of endogenous inhibitors. Water uptake by intact and cracked seeds during imbibition showed that the endocarp formed a strong barrier for water absorption. Meanwhile, extracts from endocarp decreased the germination frequency of chinese cabbage seeds from 99.3% (control) to 2.7%. Therefore, the endocarp was the mechanical barrier and contained endogenous inhibitors for seed germination. However, the germination percentage of decoated seeds and dissected seeds with the exposed radicle were only 13.3% and 28.7%, respectively. It was found that the endosperm also played a role in seed dormancy. Extracts from endosperm decreased the germination frequency of chinese cabbage seeds from 99.3% (control) to 53.0%. By contrast, extracts from embryo did not affect the germination of chinese cabbage seeds. When tested with the excised embryos, germination percentage was up to 85.3% at the 16th day of incubation. Taking these results together, we concluded that the endocarp and endosperm were responsible for seed dormancy in C. florida. To break the seed dormancy of C. florida, stratification and soaking in sulfuric acid are the effective means. The highest germination frequency was achieved by immersing seeds in 98% sulfuric acid for 10 minutes, then soaking the seeds in 500 mg·L−1 gibberellic acid (GA3) for 72 hours before cold stratification at 5 °C for 60 days.

1926 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-402
Author(s):  
Raymond M. Hann ◽  
Charles E. Sando

Botany ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanlan He ◽  
Ganesh K. Jaganathan ◽  
Baolin Liu

The timing of germination is a crucial event in a plant’s life cycle. Seed dormancy and germination mechanisms are important factors regulating seedling emergence. Since detailed experimental evidence for germination pattern of Phoenix canariensis colonizing sub-tropical climate is scarce, we investigated seed dormancy and germination ecology of P. canariensis. We found that the embryo is underdeveloped at the time of dispersal and doubles in size before the cotyledonary petiole (CP) protrudes through the operculum. The primary root and plumule emerge from the elongated CP outside the seed. In light/dark at 30/25°C, the CP emerged from 8% of the diaspores within 30 days and from 76% within 14 weeks. Thus, 8% of the diaspores have MD and the others MPD. Removal of the pericarp and operculum resulted in 100% germination within 5 days in light/dark at 30/25°C. Cold and warm stratification as well as treatment with GA3 significantly increased the germination speed, but the final germination percentage was not significantly increased. Seed germination was synchronized in early summer when seed dormancy was released by cold stratification in the soil over winter. A remote-tubular germination type and intricate root system provide an ecological advantage to the seedling establishment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
Stephen I. Mensah ◽  
Chimezie Ekeke

<p class="1Body">The seed dormancy of <em>Senna obtusifolia</em> was investigated through various methods, namely pretreatments in concentrated sulfuric acid, 2% potassium nitrate (KNO<sub>3</sub>), 99% ethanol, 99% methanol, and in hydrogen perioxide; examination of the seed coverings; and the determination of water uptake by the seeds in order to ascertain the most effective technique for breaking dormancy and also determine the dormancy type. The results showed that sulfuric acid treatment recorded the highest germination (100%); followed by 2% hydrogen peroxide treatment (24%) in 15minutes immersion. The methanol and ethanol pretreatments gave 18.33% and 16.5% germinations respectively. Pretreatment in 2% potassium nitrate gave the lowest germination (8.50%), while the intact seeds of <em>S. obtusifiolia</em> (control) gave 0% germination. The anatomy of the seed coat indicated the presence of hard, thickened and specialized cells of cuticle, macrosclereids, osteoscereids, and disintegrated parenchyma layers. The water uptake of intact seeds was low (13.5%) after 24 hr imbibitions. These findings revealed that the seed coat acts as barrier to germination by preventing water absorption, possibly gaseous diffusion in and out of the seed and conferring mechanical resistance to the protrusion of embryo. Pretreatments, such as immersion in H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4 </sub>will soften the seed coat and permit germination. Seed dormancy in <em>S. obtusifolia </em>can be considered of physical nature and classified as physical dormancy. The results obtained in this study may serve as useful information in the production and improvement of <em>S. obtusifolia </em>seedlings, as knowledge on seed dormancy and germination is a critical factor and requirements to the understanding of the propagation of this plant either in situ or ex-situ, in view of the economic potentials/attributes of this species.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.M. Vasconcelos ◽  
M.A. Rodrigues ◽  
S.C. Vasconcelos Filho ◽  
J.F. Sales ◽  
F.G. Silva ◽  
...  

"Quina" (Strychnos pseudoquina A. St. Hil) is a medicinal plant species from the Brazilian Cerrado. As its seeds show dormancy, they were subjected to the treatments pre-cooling at 5ºC during 7 days, pre-heating at 40ºC during 7 days, pre-soaking in sulfuric acid PA during 5 and 15 min, pre-soaking in boiling water during 5 and 15 min, pre-soaking in 100 and 200 ppm gibberellic acid during 48 h, pre-soaking in distilled water during 24 and 48 h, and mechanical scarification to break dormancy. Counts were daily conducted from the 2nd day after the experiment implementation until the germination stabilization at the 65th day. The germination speed index (GSI) and the germination percentage were evaluated. Germination rates above 96% were reached in seeds pre-soaked in water during 48 h and substrate moistened with water or KNO3.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 319
Author(s):  
Yuhan Tang ◽  
Keliang Zhang ◽  
Yin Zhang ◽  
Jun Tao

Sorbus alnifolia (Siebold & Zucc.) K.Koch (Rosaceae) is an economically important tree in the temperate forests of Eastern China. In recent decades, ever-increasing use and modification of forestlands have resulted in major degeneration of the natural habitat of S. alnifolia. Moreover, S. alnifolia seeds germinate in a complicated way, leading to a high cost of propagation. The current study aimed to determine the requirements for breaking seed dormancy and for germination as well as to characterize the type of seed dormancy present in this species. Moreover, the roles of temperature, cold/warm stratification, and gibberellic acid (GA3) in breaking dormancy were tested combined with a study of the soil seed bank. The results showed that intact seeds of S. alnifolia were dormant, requiring 150 days of cold stratification to achieve the maximum germination percentage at 5/15 °C. Exposure of the seeds to ranges of temperatures at 15/25 °C and 20/30 °C resulted in secondary dormancy. Scarifying seed coat and partial removal of the cotyledon promoted germination. Compared with long-term cold stratification, one month of warm stratification plus cold stratification was superior in breaking dormancy. Application of GA3 did not break the dormancy during two months of incubation. Seeds of S. alnifolia formed a transient seed bank. The viability of freshly matured S. alnifolia seeds was 87.65% ± 11.67%, but this declined to 38.25% after 6-months of storage at room temperature. Seeds of S. alnifolia have a deep physiological dormancy; cold stratification will be useful in propagating this species. The long chilling requirements of S. alnifolia seeds would avoid seedling death in winter.


1926 ◽  
Vol 202 (2) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
Raymond M. Hann ◽  
Charles E. Sando

1991 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 901 ◽  
Author(s):  
BH Paynter ◽  
KW Dixon

Geleznowia verrucosa Turcz. (Rutaceae) is a commercially important, bush-picked wildflower that has no known commercial means of propagation. This study examined factors influencing seed dormancy and likely to restrict germination of the species. Germination of entire, untreated seed was low (less than 2%), but removal of a small portion of the testa at or near the radicle end of the seed improved germination. This response was affected by the temperature under which the seed germinated, but was unaffected by exposure of the seed to light while germinating. The percentage germination of nicked seeds 52 days after sowing increased from 8% to 16-19% by increasing the temperature from 15/10�C to 20/15�C; 55-60% of nicked seed germinated when the germination temperature was increased to 23/15�C. The germination of nicked seed was reduced by leaching in running tap water. Following 1 week of leaching the germination percentage of nicked seed at day 52 in the glasshouse was reduced from 16% to 9%, with a further decrease to 5% after 2 weeks of leaching. There was also no stimulatory effect on the germination of entire seeds by stratifying the seed at 5�C after periods of solarisation. It is concluded that dormancy of fresh seeds of G. verrucosa is caused, in part, by the mechanical restriction of the testa on embryo growth and elongation.


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