Effect of Some Pretreatments on Seed Germination of Turkish Hazel (Corylus colurna L.)

Abstract

Seeds of Turkish hazel take a long time to germinate under natural conditions. However, fast and uniform germination is desirable, especially in breeding studies. In this study, the seeds were either directly planted in the field or the following treatments were applied to the seeds to improve germination: 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 and 400 ppm Gibberellic acid (GA(3)), scarification with acid for 2 hours, shell splitting and stratification in moist peat at 4 degrees C for 100, 110 and 120 days. Three replications were used for each treatment. Acid scarification, shell splitting, and 100 and 110 days of stratification did not result in any germination. The field planting and 120 days of stratification resulted in 64% and 14.2% germination, respectively. All of the GA(3) treatments resulted in higher germination than the control (0 ppm). Germination increased as GA(3) concentration increased but higher concentrations had a negative effect on germination; 0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 and 400 ppm GA(3) resulted in 41.3%, 67.6%, 92.1%, 100.0%, 84.7%, 56.0% and 61.6% germination, respectively. Germinated seeds were transplanted into peat moss in plastic bags. Transplantation success was the highest (70.6%) in the 25 ppm GA(3) treatment followed by 75 ppm (64.0%).