PREGERMINATION TREATMENT OF SEEDS OF SPECIES AND HYBRIDS IN RUBUS WITH SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE

Dry cold-stored seeds of Rubus species and hybrids were treated with either full strength commercial (5.25% A.I.) or 12% reagent grade NaOCl for 0, 24, 48, 72, or 96 h, and germinated immediately following treatment.
Experiments included the subgenus Idaeobatus species R. idaeus var. strigosus, R. leucodermis, R. occidentalis, and R. phoenicolasius, plus R. x neglectus and R. idaeus cvs., the subgenus Rubus species R. canadensis and R. cuneifolius plus a diploid hybrid progeny, tetraploid thornless cvs., thorny x thornless hybrids and progenies, and tetraploid raspberry x blackberry hybrids.
Germination varied widely among and within species and hybrids.
Raspberry species and cvs., and blackberry species responded very poorly to 5.25% NaOCl.
Germination generally increased with duration of treatment with tetraploid blackberry accessions.
With 12% NaOCl, raspberry accessions and raspberry x blackberry hybrids responded best to 48 and/or 96 h treatment.
With the exception of one diploid hybrid progeny, subgenus Rubus species and hybrids responded poorly to 12% NaOCl.
With refinement in technique NaOCl treatments appear promising for simplifying seed germination in Rubus.

V International Symposium on Rubus and Ribes

G.J. Galletta, J.R. Ballington, A.D. Draper

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1989.262.42