2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Seed dormancy of northern landscaping plants requiring two winters from seed dispersal to shoot emergence above ground.

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23580028
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Horticulture/Landscape architecture
Research Institution	Hokkaido University
Principal Investigator	KONDO Tetsuya 北海道大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 教授 (10153727)
Project Period (FY)	2011 – 2013
Keywords	種子 / 休眠 / スズラン / マイヅルソウ
Research Abstract	We revealed the germination characteristics of seeds of Convallaria keiskei and Maianthemum dilatatum, which are promising species as landscape materials in northern Japan, by laboratory and outdoor experiments. In both species, seeds were dispersed in October outdoors, roots emerged from seeds in next June or July, and shoot emerged in May two years later of seed dispersal. This means seeds require about 20 months including two winter from seed dispersal to shoot emergence. Embryos in seeds immediately after dispersal were small and developed at the almost coincidentally with root emergence from seeds functioning as haustorium absorbing nutrition from endosperm. In both seeds, percentages of radicle emergence increased by cold stratification but alternating temperatures and light inhibit them.