Osmotic priming and stratification enhance emergence and seedling size of Pinus brutia var eldarica
Osmotic priming and stratification enhance emergence and seedling size of Pinus brutia var eldarica
Shad K. Khalil, John G. Mexal, Abdur Rehman, A. Z. Khan and Iftikhar Hussain Khalil
ABSTRACT
Pinus brutia var. eldarica is gaining popularity because it provides high quality Christmas tree under a wide range of growing conditions in addition to its use in pulp and other wood products. Rapid and complete germination is one of the problems associated with this species. Osmoconditioning has been used for the speedy germination of most plant species. Eldarica pine seeds were osmoconditioned with the objective to evaluate its response to priming. Seeds were preconditioned in an aerated solution of polyethylene glycol (PEG) 8000 and water for 1, 4, 8, and 12 days. The osmotic potential of PEG solution was -0.5 and -1.8 MPa. In two other treatments, the seeds were aerated in distilled water for 1 day and refrigerated having 100% moisture content (MC) or reducing MC to 85% and then refrigerated for the above duration. Seeds were sown in the greenhouse in Ray-Leach tubes at Fabian Garcia Center, New Mexico State University, USA. Seed soaked in distilled water for more than 4 days failed to germinate. Seed refrigerated after 1 day soaking had increased total emergence, reduced days to 50% emergence (T50). However, none of the treatments produced significantly heavier seedlings. Early emerged seedlings resulted in heavier shoots and roots than late emerged seedlings.
Key word: PEG 8000, concentration, duration, stratification, biomass, eldarica pine.
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June 2006
Vol. 56, Iss. 2
