Potassium Hydroxide Improves Seed Germination and Emergence in Five Native Plant Species

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<jats:p>The seeds of difficult-to-germinate native species of American licorice (<jats:italic>Glycyrrhiza lepidota</jats:italic> Pursh), angelica (<jats:italic>Angelica atropurpurea</jats:italic> L.), wild blueberry (<jats:italic>Vaccinium angustifolium</jats:italic> Ait.), wild mint (<jats:italic>Mentha arvensis</jats:italic> L.), and purple coneflower (<jats:italic>Echinacea angustifolia</jats:italic> D.C.), were soaked in 0, 2.5, 5.3, or 7.6 <jats:sc>m</jats:sc> KOH solutions for 0, 1, 5, 10, 15, or 20 minutes. After these treatments, germination was determined at 10 °C with a 14-hour photoperiod in petri dishes and seedling emergence was conducted at 14/10 °C with a 14-hour photoperiod in a sandy loam soil. In general, KOH treatment for only 1 min enhanced germination and seedling emergence. The optimal KOH concentration and soaking time in improving seed germination and seedling emergence varied with species, being 5.3 <jats:sc>m</jats:sc> and 10 min for purple coneflower, 5.3 <jats:sc>m</jats:sc> and 5 minutes for wild blueberry, 7.6 <jats:sc>m</jats:sc> and 5 minutes for angelica, 7.6 <jats:sc>m</jats:sc> and 1 minute for wild mint, and 5.3-7.6 <jats:sc>m</jats:sc> and 10 minutes for American licorice, respectively. Prolonged soaking, particularly in high concentrations, reduced germination and emergence.</jats:p>

Journal

  • HortScience

    HortScience 33 (2), 274-276, 1998-04

    American Society for Horticultural Science

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