Effects of perturbations and stimulants on red raspberry (Rubus idaeusL.) seed germination

Abstract

Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) seeds germinate only after seed coats are degraded. In nature this happens slowly. Seeds from recently collected fruit (fresh to four years old) germinated only after scarification of the seed coat by 20-minute soaking in concentrated sulfuric acid. Germination was not enhanced by: (1) short-term intermittent soaking, up to 81 hours, in dilute (0.01 normal) hydrochloric acid; (2) passage through the digestive tracts of bears, coyotes, or birds; (3) physical perturbations such as nicking, mechanical scarification, repeated freezing and thawing and/or four years of exposure in the field; (4) exposure to light; (5) increased temperatures or temperature fluctuations; or (6) addition of nitrogen (ammonium nitrate, urea). Key words: animal passage, germination, nitrogen, red raspberry, Rubus idaeus L., seed coat, seed weight, scarification, stratification