Keywords
seed parasitism
insects
fungi
viability tests
How to Cite
##article.highlights##
- Infestation by insects and fungi are the main causes of acorn losses during storage
- Stored acorns can maintain viability
- Cold stratification improves the germination of stored acorns
Abstract
White oaks have recalcitrant seeds that remain viable for short periods of time, but this information is still conspicuously lacking for Mexican oaks. This is the case of Quercus polymorpha, a drought-tolerant species widely distributed across Sierra Madre Oriental that can be used in forest restoration programs. The acorns used to develop their saplings are collected during the reproductive season and stored by several months before their germination. This study focused in 1) determining how many seeds are lost during storage because of physiological factors linked to their viability, 2) quantifying how many seeds were lost by other factors, and 3) assessing whether cold stratification can stimulate acorn germination. Acorns used in this study were stored during a round year. We found that 70 % of these acorns were parasitized by insects prior to their storage, while an additional 20 % had lost their viability due to physiological factors or fungal infestation. Germination trials were performed by only using potentially viable acorns, which were subjected to three different cold stratification periods (0, 20 and 50 days). This experiment indicated acorns stratified during 50 days display higher germination rates (64.2 %) than those stratified by 20 (44.8 %) and 0 days (16.5 %).
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