Search Results
To study the causes of low germinability in dried blackberry seeds, seeds harvested from fresh `Thornless Evergreen' (TE) blackberry (Rubus laciniatus Willd.) were either air-dried (12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 96, or 120 hours) or explanted directly onto growth-regulator-free medium after bleach disinfestation. Seeds were either cut in half before explanting or kept intact. None of the intact seeds germinated. Fewer of the halved seeds dried 12 hours or more germinated than control (fresh moist) seeds (42.7% and 54.5%, respectively). Germination decreased to <12% following >48 hours of air-drying. In a separate study, fresh seeds of TE and `Navaho' were either dried as described or held in sealed petri dishes on moist filter paper (moist treatment) for up to 60 hours. After 60 hours, germination of dried seeds of both cultivars had decreased significantly; there was no significant change in germination percentage for moist seeds. Since moist halved seeds germinated well and dried halved seeds did not, the inability of dried blackberry seeds to germinate is due to more factors than just the hard seedcoat typical of the genus.