Influence of Seed Stratification and Seed Age on Emergence of Penstemon
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HORTSCIENCE 39(6):1385–1386. 2004. were planted the third week in January of each year and moved to the greenhouse 8 weeks later when the 0-week treatment was planted. The Infl uence of Seed Stratifi cation and substrate with the planted seeds, except for the 0-week treatments, were watered until saturated Seed Age on Emergence of Penstemon and placed on the fl oor in a cold storage facil- ity 24 h after seeding. Substrate temperatures 1 2 Dale T. Lindgren and Daniel M. Schaaf were 1 ± 3 °C during the stratifi cation period. University of Nebraska West Central Research and Extension Center, 461 West The seeded containers were checked weekly University Drive, North Platte, NE 69101 for moisture. The growing substrate was lightly misted as needed, to maintain suffi cient substrate Additional index words. Penstemon angustifolius, P. barbatus, P. digitalis, P. gracilis, P. moisture. Once in the greenhouse, air temperature grandifl orus, P. haydenii, P. strictus, P. cobaea, P. trifl orus, germination was maintained at a minimum of 21 °C during the day and a minimum of 18 °C at night during Abstract. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of stratifi cation and seed age on per- emergence. No supplemental light was provided. cent seedling emergence of Penstemon. Emergence differences occurred between the eight Each species and selection consisted of a 50-seed Penstemon selections, as well as between seed stratifi cation treatments and seed age. Seed sample per treatment, and all treatments were stratifi cation signifi cantly increased emergence. Emergence varied from 0% with 1-year- replicated four times. Percentage seed emergence old seed of Penstemon digitalis with no stratifi cation, to 72.8% emergence with 2-year-old for each treatment was recorded weekly for 4 seed of P. angustifolius with 10 weeks of stratifi cation. Seedlings from 3- to 4-year-old seed weeks. Emergence was defi ned as the fi rst sign generally emerged as well as or better than with 1- and 2-year-old seed. Percent emergence of a visible seedling. Emergence was reported varied signifi cantly with stratifi cation, seed age, and species. Some emergence occurred with as the percent of the total number of seedlings, species from seed up to 10 years old. out of 50 seeds planted, that emerged during the Growing and producing native plants for represent a wide range of fl owering and foliage 4 weeks. Although emergence is also a function commercial, residential, and highway plantings characteristics, growth habits, and adaptation. of germination, the results here are reported as is an important component of the horticulture All seeds used in the 11 years of this study were emergence. Treatments were analyzed as a split- industry. However, the success of growing native collected in 1988 from plants transplanted to split-plot design in the short-term experiment with plants from seed can vary greatly with species, fi eld plots in 1985. All seeds were air dried and species as the main plot, stratifi cation as the sub- seed source, seed treatment, seed age, environ- stored at 16 to 18 °C, at an average of 35% rela- plot and years as sub-subplots. In the long-term ment and pre- and postgermination conditions. tive humidity until planting. In 1989 and 1990, study, which included all years, four selections Penstemon, a diverse genus of ≈270 species, is seeds from each of the eight Penstemon selections and two treatment times, seed age was used as native from Alaska south to North and Central were stratifi ed (cold and moist) for 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, the main plot, stratifi cation as subplot and species America to Guatemala. The genus is diverse or 10 weeks. Due to limited amounts of seed, as sub-subplot for analysis. Data were analyzed for fl owering traits, foliage, plant size and ease the number of selections included in the 1991 to using Proc MIXED (SAS, 1989). of propagation and has a wide variety of uses 1999 studies were reduced to four, and stratifi ca- (Lindgren and Wilde, 2003). Penstemon species tion treatments reduced to two treatments, 0 or 8 Results and Discussion have been reported to respond to pre-germina- weeks. The results of the 1989 and 1990 studies tion seed treatments including stratifi cation, are reported together as a short-term study, and the There were signifi cant differences (P ≤ 0.01 scarifi cation, alternating temperatures, growth 0- or 8-week stratifi cation treatment of four of the or 0.001) in emergence among species, weeks regulators, and light (Allen and Meyer, 1990; selections (P. digitalis, P. grandifl orus, P. strictus, of seed stratifi cation and seed age in the short- Deno, 1991; Kitchen and Meyer, 1991; Lind- and P. x ‘Prairie Splendor’) for all years, 1989 to term (2-year) study (Table 2). There was also gren, 1990; Raeber and Lee, 1991; Salac and 1999, are reported together as a long-term study. a signifi cant interaction for species × stratifi ca- Hesse, 1975). The response of penstemon seed Table 1 summarizes the treatments included in tion treatment (weeks), for age × species and to pre-germination treatments varies extensively the short- and long-term studies. age × weeks × species. Most of the selections with species. The objective of this study was to All seeds in these studies were initially included in this 2-year study had greater percent evaluate the effect of seed age and cold stratifi ca- stratifi ed the fi rst week of January, beginning emergence with 2-year-old seed, compared to tion on the percent seed emergence of a diverse with the longest stratifi cation treatment. Seeds emergence from 1-year-old (past season’s) selection of Penstemon. were stratifi ed in Rediearth (W.R. Grace & Co., harvested seed. However, this did not hold true Cambridge, Mass.) growing substrate in 12.0 L for P. haydenii. Penstemon gracilis emergence Methods and Materials (48 × 34 × 7.5 cm) metal containers. Seeds in all was higher for 2-year-old seed, compared to treatments were covered with 2 mm of substrate. 1-year-old seed for all of the stratifi cation treat- Seeds of seven Penstemon species (P. angus- All of the seeded containers in the 1989 and 1990 ments. For most of the selections, emergence tifolius Nutt. ex. Pursh, P. barbatus (Cav.) Roth, studies for the 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 week stratifi ca- was highest with the 8- to 10-week stratifi cation P. digitalis Nutt., P. gracilis Nutt., P. grandifl orus tion times, were seeded at 14-d intervals for each treatments. Many interactions were present. For Nutt., P. haydenii S. Wats., P. strictus Benth.,) stratifi cation treatment. They were moved to a example, with P. strictus, emergence decreased and one hybrid selection, ‘Prairie Splendor’ (P. greenhouse simultaneously when the 0-week at the 8- and 10-week stratifi cation treatment cobaea Nutt. x P. trifl orus Heller) were collected treatment was planted. For the 1991 to 1999 for 2-year-old seed but increased at the 8- and from the University of Nebraska West Central studies, the 8-week stratifi cation treatments 10-week stratifi cation for 1-year-old seed. Research and Extension Center fi eld research plots located near North Platte. These Penstemons Table 1. Summary of Penstemon treatment variables. Parameter Short-term study Long-term study Received for publication 9 Apr. 2003. Accepted for pub- Years in study 2 (years 1 and 2) 11 (years 1 to 11) lication 20 Oct. 2003. A contribution of the University Seed stratifi cation treatment (weeks) 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 0, 8 of Nebraska Agricultural Research Division, Lincoln. Selections included P. angustifolius P. digitalis Journal series 12179. This research was supported in part P. barbatus P. grandifl orus by funds provided through the Hatch Act under Project P. digitalis P. strictus Nos. NEB 43-066 and NEB 43-047. We acknowledge P. gracilis P. ‘Prairie Splendor’ additional fi nancial support for this research from the P. grandifl orus Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. P. haydenii 1Professor, to whom reprint requests should be ad- P. strictus dressed; e-mail [email protected]. P. ‘Prairie Splendor’ 2Agriculture research technician. HORTSCIENCE 39(6) OCTOBER 2004 1385 77681-Prop.indd681-Prop.indd 11385385 99/20/04/20/04 112:17:112:17:11 PPMM Table 2. Emergence (%) of Penstemon with zero to 10 weeks of stratifi cation for 1-year old (1) and 2-year that is 2 to 5 years old, may emerge better than old (2) seed and the analysis of variance. from 1-year-old seed because of after ripening Weeks of stratifi cation (Allen and Meyer, 1990). Other seed treatments, Species/selection 0 2 4 6 8 10 such as seed scarifi cation, have been successful P. angustifolius (1) 1.5 6.0 4.0 18.0 53.0 68.0 in increasing germination of P. haydenii seed (2) 9.3 29.8 7.0 38.5 71.3 72.8 (Stubbendieck et al., 1993). Because P. haydenii P. barbatus (1) 15.0 8.0 9.0 10.5 13.0 15.0 is found in areas of blowing sand, it may have (2) 13.5 12.0 15.0 17.0 22.3 26.5 evolved with seed scarifi cation. P. digitalis (1) 0.0 1.0 9.5 13.5 16.5 13.0 It has been reported that light is necessary (2) 0.0 13.5 30.5 48.5 25.0 26.5 for the germination of some species such as P. P. gracilis (1) 0.5 0.5 7.0 11.0 22.5 33.0 digitalis (Deno, 1991).