PRE-GERMINATION TREATMENT EFFECTS ON DORMANCY RELEASE OF APPLE AND PEAR SEEDS

After application of jasmonic acid (JA) and gibberellic acid (GA₃) and subjection to three variants of stratification, seeds of Latvian and South African origin from three apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivars (‘Golden Delicious’, ‘Panorama Golden’ and ‘Antonovka’) and three pear (Pyrus communis L.) cultivars (‘Pacham’s Triumph’, ‘Flamingo’ and ‘Kazrausu bumbiere’), were germinated in vitro.
Three medium composition variants were applied to investigate the effect of JA and GA₃ on dormancy release and germination.
Results indicate differences in percentage of seed germination and growth potential, where the highest percentage of germinated seedlings occurred in Latvian cultivars after three months of stratification at 4°C, treated with GA3 and in non-stratified seeds with JA and GA₃ treatment.
Best results for South African cultivars were shown after 3 month of stratification in fruit and non-stratified seeds without any hormone treatment.
Measurements between seedling shoot and root lengths do not differ significantly between the extracted seed stratification treatment and seed stratification in fruit.
In general, seedling growth was negatively influenced by JA treatment.

XXVIII International Horticultural Congress on Science and Horticulture for People (IHC2010): International Symposium on Micro and Macro Technologies for Plant Propagation and Breeding in Horticulture

L. Lepse , I. Drudze, M. Booyse, I. Labuschagne

jasmonic acid, gibberellic acid-3, cold stratification, chilling requirements

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.923.22