Seed dormancy in Camellia sinensis L. (Theaceae): effects of cold-stratification and exogenous gibberellic acid application on germination

Abstract

There are several different opinions regarding dormancy in tea (Camellia sinensis L.), but there is no strong evidence available to conclude whether or not these seeds are dormant. Freshly matured tea seeds collected from Hangzhou, China, at the natural dispersal time did not germinate in light at daily alternative temperature regimes of 10/15, 15/20, 20/25, or 25/35 °C, or at a constant temperature of 25 °C. Seeds were permeable to water and the embryos did not grow prior to radicle emergence, thus, the seeds have no physical, morphological, or morphophysiological dormancy. When cold-stratified at 4 °C for 1, 2, and 3 months, 64%, 88%, and 93% of the seeds germinated, respectively. Intact fresh seeds failed to germinate after treatment with 0, 10, 500, and 1000 ppm GA3, whereas 3%, 4%, 61%, and 86% of cracked seeds germinated, respectively. Thus, the seeds have nondeep and intermediate physiological dormancy. Seeds cold-stratified for 2 months that were buried at soil depths of 0, 1, and 5 cm in pots showed that seeds at 1 cm depth established significantly higher number of seedlings (P < 0.05) than at other two depths. Because tea seeds are susceptible to summer temperature drying, these seeds do not establish a persistent seed bank.