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Reimposition of conditional dormancy during air-dry storage of prechilled Sitka spruce seeds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2008

Steve K. Jones ,
Peter G. Gosling  and
Richard H. Ellis
Steve K. Jones*
Affiliation:
Forest Research Station, Alice Holt Lodge, Wrecclesham, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4LH, UK
Peter G. Gosling
Affiliation:
Forest Research Station, Alice Holt Lodge, Wrecclesham, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4LH, UK
Richard H. Ellis
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture, The University of Reading, Earley Gate, PO Box 236, Reading, RG6 6AT, UK
*
*Correspondence
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Abstract

Prechilling seeds of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong.] Carr.) at 4°C with 30% moisture content for 12–14 weeks (84–98 d) removed conditional dormancy (i.e. they were then able to germinate at 10°C). The non-dormant status was preserved after redrying to 6% moisture content. However, conditional dormancy was gradually reimposed during subsequent air-dry storage at 4°C and 6% seed moisture content in all five seed lots tested. Further investigations with one seed lot showed that reimposition was reversed by a second prechill treatment, but was reimposed again during subsequent air-dry storage. The trend of dormancy reimposition within seed lots over time was quantified by negative exponential relations between ability to germinate at 10°C and duration of air-dry storage. The progress of dormancy reimposition was influenced by seed storage moisture content and was most rapid at 4–10%. At higher moisture contents (15 and 20%) the rate of the reimposition of conditional dormancy was much reduced, while at moisture contents of 25 and 30% further loss in dormancy occurred. Thus it is clear that dormancy reimposition occurred during storage at low water potential rather than solely during desiccation from high to low water potential.

Keywords

conditional dormancyconifer seedseed storagePicea sitchensisSitka spruce
Type
Research Papers
Information
Seed Science Research , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , June 1998 , pp. 113 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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