Nursery propagation of woody and herbaceous perennials for the Prairie Provinces

Abstract

crops is encouraging new growers who may be untrained in nurserycrops propagation to begin nursery production. Contributions by H. J. M. Temmerman and H. Hiebert, and by former staff of the Morden Research Station are gratefully acknowledged. The authors also wish to thank the staff at the Provincial Tree Nursery, Oliver, Alta., and the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, Indian Head, Sask., for reviewing this publication and suggesting improvements. Seed propagation Each seed produces an entirely new plant. Seedlings produced from seeds of the same seed lot differ from one another, just as people do. Most plant materials that have been improved ornamentally, particularly through interspecific hybridization, cannot be propagated from seed because seedling variation is too great. Improved nursery cultivars that were selected for disease resistance, double flowering habit, unusual leaf color or shape, quality of fruit, particular tree form, and other improved characteristics fall into this group. About 45% of the nursery plants sold on the prairies are propagated as seedling material. Also, many seedlings are propagated and used as rootstocks for budding and grafting. When they are used in this way, all should be uniformly vigorous and healthy but they do not need perfect uniformity of ornamental characters. Collection Seedling growers may collect their own seeds or may buy them commercially. A seed that is adapted to your growing area is essential, because some species grow over a vast continental area in which climatic conditions can vary dramatically. Green ash, for instance, is native from Florida to northern Saskatchewan; the southern sources for seeds produce seedlings that, on the prairies, winter-kill to the snow line, whereas seeds from northern, prairie sources are adapted to the climatic conditions of the Prairie Provinces. Seeds must therefore be collected from a location similar in climate and latitude to the one in which the plants will eventually be grown. Seeds from a nearby location will produce seedlings that are genetically adapted to the climatic conditions imposed on them; seeds from other geographical areas of similar latitude and climate may also produce adapted seedlings. Latitude is especially important in seed collection, because the onset of winter hardening is triggered, in part, by decreasing day length, which varies with the latitude. In general, a seedling should not be grown more than 500 km north of the location in which the seed was collected. Altitudinal differences can also cause problems, and therefore variations of more than 1000 m elevation are not recommended.

Germination of Nonstratified Japanese Tree Lilac Seeds as Influenced by Seed Capsule Maturity and Moisture Content

“…American linden has been reported that early collection (generally September) of seed in Ontario, Canada, before seedcoat and wings turns from grey to brown will have increased germination without stratification (Leiss, 1985). Studies involving american linden at the Morden Research Station (Manitoba, Canada) indicate that 50% germination can result in early fall seed collection and sown immediately, there was no report on precise timing or other factors such as seed moisture content or seed fresh weight (Vanstone et al, 1982). This is the first report in japanese tree lilac of using ''green'' seed with measurement of seed moisture content and seed capsule fresh weight to determine harvest timing for propagation without stratification.…”

Crown development of a clone of Populus tremuloides exhibiting "crooked" architecture and a comparison with wild-type trees

“…The root pieces harvested from the clone were stored in damp peat moss in plastic bags at 4°C until February 1993. From storage, the root pieces were pretreated in moist peat moss in a sealed plastic bag at 22°C for 2 weeks (Vanstone et al 1982). One end was then trimmed and dipped in 0.1% indole-3-butyric acid rooting powder and each root piece was planted into a 10-cm pot in a soil-less mix.…”

Climate factors influence on biological features of Crataegus maximowiczii C.K. Schneid. when introduced within the arctic circle

“…Особенное внимание отводится изучению возможностей семенного размножения растений рода Crataegus. Исследователи отмечают, что зародыш семени боярышника находится в состоянии покоя, семена многих видов имеют толстый эндокарп, который препятствует прорастанию [5][6][7]. В большинстве случаев для нарушения покоя семян рекомендуют проводить скарификацию или стратификацию, возможно сочетание этих способов [8][9][10].…”