Preliminary results on the effects of various pre-treatments on seed germination of Juniperus oxycedrus L.

Seeds of Juniperus oxycedrus L. have seed-coat and embryo dormancy hampering complete, rapid and uniform germination. Twenty treatments including stratification and scarification were conducted to overcome seed dormancy. Germination percentages (GP) of the seeds with 20 pre-treatments varied from 1.5 to 84.0%. All treatments also increased germination rate (PV) significantly. Warm stratification (1-2 months) followed by cold stratification (2 months), seed scarification treatments consisting of citric acid (5,000 ppm) or hydrogen peroxide (1 h) followed by warm stratification (1 month) and cold stratification (1 month), or mechanical scarification followed by soaking in citric acid (5,000 ppm for 10 days) and cold stratification (1 month) resulted in the highest germination percentages (GP>75%). These results provide means to enhance seed germination and may help for propagation of this species.