Effect of cold stratification on the temperature range for germination of Pinus koraiensis

Abstract

Germination at low spring temperatures may offer a competitive advantage for the growth and survival of plant species inhabiting temperate forest ecosystems. Pinus koraiensis is a dominant species in temperate forests of northeastern China. Its seeds exhibit primary morphophysiological dormancy following dispersal in autumn, limiting natural or artificial regeneration: direct seeding and planting seedlings in spring. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum cold stratification temperature that induces germination to increase towards lower temperatures. Seeds from two populations (Changbaishan and Liangshui) were cold stratified at 0, 5 and 10 °C. Germination to incubation temperatures (10/5, 20/10, 25/15 and 30/20 °C; 14/10 h day/night) were determined after 2 and 4 weeks, and 5.5 and 6.5 months of cold stratification. After 5.5 months, approximately 68–91% of seeds from both populations germinated at incubation temperatures of 25/15 °C and 30/20 °C, regardless of cold stratification temperatures. When the cold stratification temperature was reduced to 0 °C and the period increased to 6.5 months, germination at 10/5 °C significantly improved, reaching 37% and 64% for the Changbaishan and Liangshui populations, respectively. After 6.5 months of cold stratification, there was a significant linear regression between cold stratification temperatures and germination at 10/5 °C. The range in temperatures allowing for germination gradually expanded to include lower temperatures with decreasing cold stratification temperatures from 10 to 5 °C and further to 0 °C.