PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Kaur, Jasmeen AU - Schoonmaker, Amanda L AU - Sobze, Jean-Marie TI - Length of cold stratification period affects germination in green alder (<em>Alnus viridis</em> (Chaix) DC. subsp. <em>crispa</em> (Aiton) Turrill) seed collected from northwestern Alberta AID - 10.3368/npj.17.2.95 DP - 2016 Jun 20 TA - Native Plants Journal PG - 95--102 VI - 17 IP - 2 4099 - http://npj.uwpress.org/content/17/2/95.short 4100 - http://npj.uwpress.org/content/17/2/95.full SO - NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL2016 Jun 20; 17 AB - Alnus viridis (Chaix) DC. subsp. crispa (Aiton) Turrill (Betulaceae), commonly known as green alder or mountain alder, is a boreal shrub used to revegetate disturbed lands because of its ability to persist and flourish in adverse conditions. Cold stratification, as a seed pretreatment, has been effective in breaking the embryo dormancy of green alder seed; however, the recommended duration of cold stratification varies from 0 to 60 d. To determine the optimum time for seed collection and the impact of duration of cold stratification, seed was collected from 3 locations in 2013. One location was chosen for collection of seed over 3 consecutive mo. Seed was subjected to 4 cold stratification treatments at +4 °C (39.2 °F), and we included a non-treated control. Mean germination time was significantly lower with cold-stratified seed than with the non-stratified seed. Green alder seed showed more rapid and uniform germination when cold stratified for 2 wk or 6 wk as compared to 12 wk of stratification or non-stratified. Germination rate of green alder seed was similar over a 3-mo collection period from late summer to fall.