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EFFECTS OF CITRIC ACID PRESOAKING AND STRATIFICATION ON GERMINATION BEHAVIOR OF PRUNUS AVIUM L. SEED

DERYA EŞEN^*, NEVAL GÜNEŞ AND OKTAY YILDIZ

Abstract: Wild cherry (Prunus avium L.) is a fast-growing broadleaved tree of Turkey with great ecological and economic values. Deep and variable dormancy inhibits germination of PA seed. Presoaking seed with a 0.1% citric-acid (CA) enhances pretreatment efficacy for some tree species. Long, constant high temperatures during stratification and germination tests induce secondary seed dormancy in European PA seed sources. This study assesses the effects of 0.1% CA or deionized water (DW) soaking in combination with various pretreatments on the germination of PA seeds from northern Turkey, using alternating temperatures during germination tests. Following presoaking, seeds were put through eight different pretreatments, including complex cold or warm + cold periods ranging from 60 to 135 days. Cumulative germination percentages and the course of germination were determined at the end of the trial. Presoaking seeds in DW for two days increased germination more than presoaking in 0.1% CA solution. Pretreatments affected seed germination significantly differently, whether they were presoaked in CA or DW. For both presoaking treatments, a 15-day warm period followed by a four-month cold period, and then recurrent warm + cold periods followed by a three-month cold period, were the best pretreatments. Germination course results conformed to the cumulative germination results. In conclusion, presoaking seeds in water for two days followed by recurrent warm + cold periods with long cold periods lasting at least four months in total are recommended for adequate germination of Prunus avium. Variable and delayed germination may offer PA an ecological adaptation, improving survival in a wide array of environments. 

Department of Forest Engineering, Forestry Faculty,  Duzce University, Konuralp 81620 Duzce, Turkey.