Petroleum Ether Separation and Seedcoat Removal Enhance Seed Germination of a Casuarina equisetifolia L. × C. glauca Sieb. ex Spreng Hybrid

Abstract

Casuarina cunninghamiana Miq. is an introduced species to Florida that has potential as a windbreak plant to help manage canker in citrus groves; however, only Florida sources can be used for that purpose. Local sources of Casuarina are generally adequate seed producers, but germination percentages are frequently poor. Thus, the causes of low seed germination and methods to improve germination were investigated using C. cunninghamiana and a local hybrid (C. equisetifolia L. × C. glauca Sieb. ex Spreng.). Seeds of the hybrid were larger and heavier (88 mg/100 seeds) than those of C. cunninghamiana (mean wt. 67 mg/100 seeds). Shrunken, insect-damaged, and empty seeds, present in all unsorted seed lots, were responsible for poor seed germination of the four seed sources studied. Petroleum ether separation improved germination by dividing seeds into floaters and sinkers. The floater fraction consisted of 47.5% to 93% insect-damaged seeds compared with 9.0% to 43.5% among sinkers. More than 50% of the sinkers were filled seeds and less than 21% in floaters. No empty seeds were sinkers except for one source of C. cunninghamiana. In sorted hybrid seeds, petroleum ether separation eliminated a large proportion of ungerminable seeds (floaters) and seed germination among sinkers was faster with a higher germination percentage than floaters. Cumulative germination of hybrid seeds in a trial involving two temperatures was 23.0% for sunken seeds at 30 °C at the end of 8 weeks compared with 1% of unsorted seeds. Temperature had no significant effect on seed germination. The germination percentage of hybrid seeds with seedcoats removed was 91.0% in the first week of culture compared with only 1.2% in the first week and 12.6% seed germination at the end of 8 weeks' culture of intact seeds.