Seed and Embryo Germination in Ardisia crenata

Takahiro Tezuka,Hisa Yokoyama,Shuji Shiozaki,Hideyuki Tanaka,Masayuki Oda

doi:10.1155/2012/679765

Abstract

Ardisia crenata is an evergreen shrub with attractive bright red berries. Although this species is usually propagated by seed, the seeds take a long time to germinate with conventional sowing methods. We investigated the germination capacity of seeds and embryos collected in different months and the effects of seed storage conditions, germination temperature, water permeability of the seed coat, and the endosperm on seed germination. Seeds and embryos collected in late September or later showed good germination rates. Seeds germinated more rapidly after longer periods of storage at low temperature (approximately 5°C), and those stored in dry conditions showed lower emergence frequency than those stored in wet conditions. Seeds germinated at 15–30°C, but not at 5–10°C. Removal of the seed coat enhanced water uptake and seed germination. Seeds with various proportions of the removed seed coat were sown on a medium supplemented with sucrose. The germination frequency increased as the size of the remaining endosperm decreased. However, the opposite results were obtained when seeds were sown on a medium without sucrose. We concluded that the optimal temperature of 25°C is the most critical factor for seed germination in A. crenata.

Highlights

The genus Ardisia (Myrsinaceae) contains approximately 400–500 species of evergreen shrubs, which are distributed in the subtropical and tropical regions around the world [1]
Observations were continued for 126 days after sowing or incubation. aData are expressed as mean ± SE
Observations were continued for 126 days after sowing or incubation. aData are expressed as mean ± SE (n = 20). bn = 20. cIntact seeds harvested on 23 August were sown in vitro because the embryos were immature

Summary

Introduction

The genus Ardisia (Myrsinaceae) contains approximately 400–500 species of evergreen shrubs, which are distributed in the subtropical and tropical regions around the world [1]. Ardisia crenata is one of the most widely grown species in the genus and is distributed throughout East Asia, including Japan It grows to approximately 1 m high and has glossy, dark green leaves, and attractive bright red berries. It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens and as a houseplant. Vegetative propagation methods such as cuttings are sometimes used to propagate A. crenata plants [3], the use of seeds has advantages for mass propagation. It can take more than 13 weeks to achieve 80% of seed germination [3]. This long period for seed germination hinders and delays the breeding of this shrub

Methods

Results

Conclusion