Use of Stimulants for Pre-Sowing Treatment of the Scots Pine Seeds

Abstract

For the cultivation of planting stock of forest-forming species, the measure most often used currently is the pre-sowing treatment of seeds with stimulants, which positively affects the germination of seeds and the growth of seedlings, and for each region of the country the choice of growth substances is different. The aim of the research was to identify the optimal stimulant and soaking time during the pre–sowing treatment of Scots pine seeds (Pinus sylvestris L.). The objects of research were one- and two-year-old seedlings, growing in the forest nursery of the Shaldai branch of the State Forest Natural Reserve (SFNR) “Ertis Ormany” in the Pavlodar region. Three stimulants (Baikal, Zircon, Humate-7 trace substances) and the fungicide Trichocine were tested. The field germination of seeds, the number of plants per unit area and the height of seedlings were all studied. In the experiment with a combined usage of the stimulants and the Trichocine, the average height of pine yearlings was lower than that of control seedlings. But at the age of two years, the average height of seedlings in the two experiments exceeded the height of control seedlings by 20.8 and 1.4%. Thus, the prolonged effect of pre-sowing seed treatment with the stimulants and the Trichocine on enhancing the growth and number of preserved seedlings per unit area at the age of two years has been proven. The data obtained from cluster and rank analyses showed that for the pre-sowing treatment of Scots pine seeds in the conditions of ribbon forests of the Irtysh region, the most optimal way was to soak the seeds in the Humate + 7 micronutrients for 12 hours together with the Trichocine (12 + 2 hours) in a concentration of 1.5 g of the stimulant and 0.6 g of the fungicide per 1 liter of water.