Open Access

ARTICLE

Seed Germination Traits of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) as Affected by Various Pre-Sowing Treatments (Cutting of Cotyledons, Removal of Perisperm, Moist Chilling and/or Exogenous Application of Gibberellin)

Thiresia-Teresa Tzatzani¹, Evangelia Basdeki², Evangelia-Vasiliki Ladikou³, Marios-Ioannis N. Sotiras³, Georgios Panagiotakis⁴, Sryridon Lionakis⁴, Ioannis E. Papadakis^3,*

1 Laboratory of Subtropical Plants and Tissue Culture, Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Plants and Viticulture, Hellenic Agricultural Organization-DEMETER, Chania, 73134, Greece
2 Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens (Member of the European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability-EU-CONEXUS), Athens, 11855, Greece
3 Laboratory of Pomology, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens (Member of the European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability-EU-CONEXUS), Athens, 11855, Greece
4 Laboratory of Pomology, School of Agricultural Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Heraklion, 71410, Greece

* Corresponding Author: Ioannis E. Papadakis. Email:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2020, 89(3), 645-656. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2020.010532

Received 09 March 2020; Accepted 10 April 2020; Issue published 22 June 2020

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various presowing treatments on the germinability (final germination percentage) and germination rate of loquat seeds in order to increase seedling production in nurseries (applied research) as well as provide answers for important physiological issues related to loquat seeds and their seed coat (basic research). Three experiments were carried out with various pre-sowing treatments. These treatments included full or partial removal of seed coat (perisperm), partial cutting of cotyledons as well as moist chilling at 5°C for 13 days and/or soaking the seeds in water or 250 ppm gibberellic acid (GA3) solution for 24 h. According to the results, cotyledons excision resulted in delayed germination, regardless of the presence or absence of the seed coat in comparison with the decoated seeds that demonstrated the highest germination rate amongst them. In addition, even the partial excision of seed coats affected positively both the germinability and the germination rate, compared to the control-intact seeds. Furthermore, control-intact seeds had a higher germination percentage when exposed to moist chilling independently of the application or not of gibberellin; while the combination of gibberellin application and moist chilling improved both the percentage and the rate of germination of decoated seeds. In conclusion, the role of perisperm (seed coat) in the germination procedure of loquat seeds seems to be important, indicating the existence of seed coat-imposed dormancy on loquat seeds. Finally, the existence of a mild endogenous embryo-dormancy on loquat is also discussed.

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Keywords

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