Abstract
A MONOGRAPH of 140 pages has been published dealing with physiological studies on the germination of Yezo spruce seed Fac. Agric., Hokkaido Imperial Universitv, Sapparo, Japan, 1942). The investigations were carried out on the germination of seeds of Picea Glehnrj and Picea jezoensis, and deal with the absorption of water and non-electrolytes, swelling, suction force, change of reserve material and the germination capacity. It is stated that the salts which cause the greater absorption of water by seed grains do not always promote their germination, whereas the concentration of non-electrolytes has a great effect on the germination of the seed. Perhaps a practical point of interest is the statement that temperature plays an important part in the germination of both of the Picea seeds, combined with the amount of water available. A temperature higher than 25° C. is unfavourable for germination, whereas a temperature lower than 10° C. exerts no injurious effect upon the germinative capacity of the seeds, since seed was submerged in cold water at that temperature for a long period without loss of germinating power. These facts suggest, it is held, that the climatic conditions of Hokkaido are suitable for the development of the Picea forest. It is quite a common event for the Picea seeds to be buried under snow and submerged in cold water for as long as five months without any loss of their germinative capacity.
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Germination of Yezo Spruce Seed. Nature 164, 648 (1949). https://doi.org/10.1038/164648a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/164648a0