Seed coat permeability and germination requirements of snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F. Blake)

Abstract

Propagating snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F. Blake [Caprifoliaceae]) from seed is difficult because of long stratification requirements and low germination rates. We investigated whether snowberry seeds have physical dormancy and whether imbibing seeds prior to stratification decreased the length of time required to break dormancy or increased germination rates. We found no evidence that snowberry seeds have physical dormancy. Seeds reached full imbibition after 12 h of soaking, at which time there was no significant difference in moisture content between intact and scarified seeds. No snowberry seeds germinated in the stratification experiment although viability remained high (> 90%), suggesting that dormancy-breaking requirements were not met in this study. Future germination studies for this species should examine seed collected from multiple populations and should assess the effects of fluctuating temperature and media type during stratification as well as germination temperatures.

St John CM, Davis AS. 2020. Seed coat permeability and germination requirements of snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F. Blake). Native Plants Journal 21(3):334–340.