Seed Storage database
In nature, the germination of dormant seeds may be triggered by different phenomena such as the cycle of one or more cold winters followed by the warmth of spring; cycles of burial followed by re-exposure to light; passage through a bird or animal gut, fire, or various combinations of these treatments. Artificial substitutes which can be used as dormancy breakage treatments often mimic these conditions and are termed pre-sowing treatments or more commonly ‘pretreatments’.
It must be remembered that:
- There is no single method of pretreatment which is universally effective at overcoming the dormancy of all tree species, and
- The level of dormancy varies between seedlots and individual seeds in a seedlot, hence there may be significant leeway in pretreatment durations.
Hazel
Corylus avellanaStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Hazel
Hawthorn (Midland)
Crataegus laevigataStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Hawthorn (Midland)
Hawthorn (Common)
Crataegus monogynaStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Hawthorn (Common)
Japanese red-cedar
Cryptomeria japonicaStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Japanese red-cedar
Broom
Cytisus scopariusStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Broom
Spindle
Euonymus europaeusStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Spindle
Beech
Fagus sylvaticaStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Beech
Buckthorn (Alder)
Frangula alnusStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Buckthorn (Alder)
Ash
Fraxinus excelsiorStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Ash
Maidenhair tree
Ginkgo bilobaStorage properties, dormancy characteristics and pretreatment durations for Maidenhair tree