Effects of seed pre-soaking on the emergence and early growth of containerized Norway spruce seedlings

Himanen, Katri; Nygren, Markku

doi:10.1007/s11056-013-9392-6

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…immature seed can also increase seedling size and decrease mortality. The positive effects of soak-sorting on the seedling size of 1-year-old Norway spruce seedlings have however been marginal (Himanen and Nygren 2014). This contrasts with of studies of other conifer species in which earlier seedling emergence is linked to increased seedling size and survival (Boyer et al 1985(Boyer et al , 1987Mexal and Fisher 1987).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Nursery growing measures aim at producing evenly sized seedling crops, and seed-soaking treatments are used to promote germination as a way to ensure a good start for the seedlings. The simplest soaking method used in conifers is to soak seeds as a first step in stratification aimed at breaking seed dormancy (Kolotelo et al 2001) or to sow the seeds straight after the soak (Himanen and Nygren 2014). Since the seeds' water content rises during soaking, germination can start immediately in the seed bed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soaking can also be used to sort out poor-quality seeds by skimming the floating, presumably low-vigor seeds after soaking. This can be done after seed extraction and prior seed storage (Karrfalt 2008) or at a nursery before sowing (Himanen and Nygren 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Karst.) by a few days (Himanen et al 2010;Himanen and Nygren 2014). The longer growth period caused by the earlier emergence is believed to lead to an increased seedling size.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effect of soak-sorting on emergence uniformity, seedling size, and eventual crop size uniformity was studied in 1-yearold seedlings (Himanen and Nygren 2014). However, it is unclear how the soak-sorting affects seedling emergence and development of 1.5-year-old seedlings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seed soak-sorting prior to sowing affects the size and quality of 1.5-year-old containerized <i>Picea abies</i> seedlings

Himanen¹,

Nygren²

2015

Silva Fenn.

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Seed soak-sorting prior to sowing affects the size and quality of 1.5-year-old containerized Picea abies seedlings Himanen K., Nygren M. (2015). Seed soak-sorting prior to sowing affects the size and quality of 1.5-year-old containerized Picea abies seedlings. Silva Fennica vol. 49 no. 3 article id 1056. 14 p. Highlights• After soak-sorting all sunken seeds (bottom fraction) were full and viable, whereas floating seeds contained larvae-filled and immature seed.• Seedlings originating from the bottom fraction were greater in height and diameter than control seedlings or those originating from the floating seeds.• The proportion of saleable seedlings was four percentage points higher in the bottom fraction than in the other seedlings. AbstractWe studied the effect of soak-sorting Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) seeds on emergence, development and quality of container seedlings in two commercial seed lots. The seeds, separated by soaking into bottom and surface fractions, were sown in June, and the seedlings were grown during two growing seasons under typical Finnish nursery conditions. The first summer seedlings were grown in a greenhouse and outdoors for the second, full growing season. All sunken seeds were full and viable according to radiography, whereas the floating seeds contained 2% and 13% larvae-filled and 8% and 11% anatomically immature seeds, depending on the seed lot. Seedlings grown from the bottom fraction seed emerged 2.5-3.5 days earlier than seedlings of storage dry (i.e. control) seed. Height, diameter, and shoot and root dry mass of the seedlings were affected by soaking after both the first and second growing seasons. The largest seedlings originated from the bottom fraction. The proportion of saleable seedlings was four percentage points higher in the bottom fraction than in the other seedlings. The effects of soaking found in this study are more notable than as previously reported for Norway spruce seedlings. This suggests that soaking and soak-sorting may be most useful when the growing conditions are stressful, i.e. when seeds are sown in summer rather than 1-year-old seedling crops sown in spring under the climate conditions typical of Finland.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Karst.) by a few days (Himanen et al 2010;Himanen and Nygren 2014). The longer growth period caused by the earlier emergence is believed to lead to an increased seedling size.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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