Abstract:
The Norway spruce seed
germination is often weak (in some years,
the germination rate is less than 50%). It is
already known that some physical agents
had a simulative influence on the
germination process. For improving the
spruce seed germination, the influence of
the ultrasound treatment on seed
germination was tested. The tests have
shown that the length of plant rootlet and
hypocotyl and the germination rate of seeds
depended on the frequency and duration of
the ultrasound treatment. For the frequency
of 35 kHz, the best results, represented by
the improvement of germination and an
increased length of rootlets and hypocotyls
for the germinated seeds, were obtained for
the treatment duration longer than 40
seconds. Thus, for the treatment duration of
50 and 60 seconds, we have obtained a
germination improvement by over 40 %, an
augmentation of the rootlet length by 32 %
and of the hypocotyls by 5-8 %, compared
to the untreated control. Because these data
are only preliminary, the testing conditions
and the tested species must be diversified, in
order to establish regularities with practical
applicability.
