An invigoration regime for Pinus strobus seeds

Samples of a seed lot of eastern white pine from New Brunswick were cold stratified at moisture contents that reached five different levels from 17-40% of fresh weight at the end of 4 wk. Each sample was subsequently tested for germination and mean germination time. Maximum seed germination occurred at a moisture content of c35%. Three subsamples from another seed lot were subjected to cold stratification at a slightly suboptimal moisture content (30%) for 0, 2 or 4 wk. These stratified seeds were subsequently invigorated at 15°C at the same moisture content for 0, 7, 11, and 16 days. Increasing stratification and invigoration duration influenced percent germination positively, as did their interaction. -from Authors