Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effects of some pre-treatments including soaking in concentrated (98%) H₂SO₄ for 1, 2 and 3 min and cold stratification for 30, 45, 60 and 90 days on seed germination and to investigate how to overcome dormancy of Hippophae rhamnoides L. seeds. The seeds were sown at 22 ± 1°C under darkness in laboratory conditions. The statistical approach was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Germinated seeds were observed periodically during 30 days to determine germination percentages and germination rates. The highest germination percentage (100%) was obtained from the seeds soaked in H₂SO₄ for 1 min and the lowest one (96.7%) was obtained from the seeds soaked in H₂SO₄ for 2 min, although, there was no significant difference for germination percentages between pretreatments. In addition, the seeds which were stratified at 4 ± 1°C for 45 to 90 days germinated in the stratification medium. On the other hand, better germination rates (4 days) were observed from 30-day cold stratification and in H₂SO₄ scarification pretreatments than control (8 days) seeds.

Key words: Hippophae rhamnoides, germination, pretreatments, seed dormancy.