Germinability of Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris) seeds under different storage conditions

Abstract

Up to 25 metric tonnes of seeds of Cook pine, raucaria columnaris (Forst. f.) Hook., are exported from Hawaii in abundant seed years. Excess seeds cannot be stored and used to fill orders in poor seed years because the seeds quickly lose their ability to germinate. The effects of storage temperature, seed moisture content, and nitrogen enrichment of storage containers on short-term and long-term seed germinability were studied in the laboratory. Results confirm the need for storage at near-freezing temperatures and seed moisture contents between 15 and 25%. Filling storage containers with nitrogen gas failed to prolong storage life of seeds and even air-filled storage containers failed to prolong storage of physiologically immature seeds.

Citation

Scowcroft, Paul G. 1988. Germinability of Cook pine (Araucaria columnaris) seeds under different storage conditions. Tree Planters' Notes 39(3):17-25.