SOLID MATRIX PRIMING INFLUENCES GERMINATION ON ARTICHOKE ACHENES

Artichoke seeds show a wide variation in germination percentage and emergence rate which reduces the uniformity of seedling stand.
These variations may depend on different causes that could be overcome by seed treatments before sowing.
Priming is defined as a pre-sowing seed treatment to enhance germination rate and sometimes germination percentage
The aim of this study was to determine the best matric potential and the matrix priming duration on artichoke “seed” germination.
One year old “seed” of cultivar 044 were primed using expanded vermiculite at 20 C° for 4, 6 and 8 days at water potential of 0, -0.4 and -1.2 MPa.
Germination tests were carried out at the end of priming treatments and 30 days later.
Forty and 15 % of seeds primed for 8 and 6 days, respectively, germinated during the treatments.
In the first germination test, the percentage of germinated seeds was not influenced by treatments and T50 was longer in the control, whereas in the second one, thirty days after priming, the germination percentage was higher in the control and with 4 days of conditioning and water potential of -1.2 Mpa, but T₂₅ and T₅₀ were longer in the control.

IV International Congress on Artichoke

G. Damato, N. Calabrese

(Cynara cardunculus L. subsp. scolymus (L.) Hayek); seed treatments; matric potential; germination percentage

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.681.42