Chilling of Endodormant Peach Propagules: I. Seed Germination and Emergence

Abstract

We compared peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. Johnson Elberta] seed germination (G) and seedling emergence (E) after various stratification (St) treatments. Treatments were arranged in factorial combinations of five St durations (20 to 60 days) at eight constant temperatures (0 to 18C) in a completely randomized design followed by repeated measures during forcing time. G and E were recorded every 5 days during forcing. Seed St at 0 to 10C and 0 to 14C promoted G and E, respectively. G and E increased with longer St treatments at promoting temperatures. There was a weak correlation between G and E averaged over the forcing measurements (r2 = 0.54). The best correlation was between E after 15 days and G after 10 days (r2 = 0.83). The results indicate that G and E in peach are not identical indicators of endodormancy (ED) release and should not be used interchangeably. Forcing times must be considered when making comparisons between G and E.