Seed Germination Experiments

To follow up the class findings on the difficulties of germinating some of the prairie species, further tests were done. Lots of 20 seeds in petri dishes were imbibed in water for 24 hours then treated in four ways:
  • CONT, placed at 20C in the light to germinate
  • COLD, placed at 2C for 60 days and then at 20C
  • ETH, held in ethylene (1 ppm) for two days
  • GA, soaked in gibberellic acid (1 g/liter) for 2 days, rinsed and placed at 20C
In all cases germination was recorded 14 days after placing at 20C.

Percent Germination
SpeciesCONTCOLDETHGA
Allium cernuum1045205
Anemone canadensis020--
Asclepias tuberosa55857585
Aster novae-angliae95100--
Baptisia lactea0000
Echinacea purpurea25556010
Eryngium yuccifolium03500
Eupatorium maculatum10551550
Monarda fistulosa70506035
Ratibida pinnata100100--
Rudbeckia hirta2520305
Silphium integrifolium08050
Solidago rigida70100--
Solidago speciosa10100--
Tradescantia ohioensis02500
Verbena stricta5000
Vernonia fasciculata03000
Zizia aurea0500
- indicates that seeds were not tested in this treatment.

Although there was some evidence, that hormone treatments promoted germination, they did so in seeds that germinated to some extent without cold treatment. Germination of the more recalcitrant seeds (Baptisia, Verbena and Zizia) was not promoted by cold or hormone treatment. However, reasonable germination of Verbena and Zizia was attained after 120 days stratification.

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