Germination of apple seeds

Two experiments were performed to study the seed germination of several apple varieties at the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, SP, Brazil. In the first of the experiments seeds of 30 apple cultivars were collected from ripe fruits and maintained stratified in moist substratum in cold storage (5-10°C) to break dormancy. Twenty six out of the 30 varieties tested showed germination Over 93%. The germination had started in the third month while-the-seeds were still in the refrigerator, continued rapidly during the fourth and fifth months, and was completed at the sixth month. In the second trial seeds of three local apple cultivars were collected from ripe fruits, kept in various storage conditions, and sowed immediately or after 90 days stratification period in cold storage. Those seeds extracted from ripe fruits maintained at lab ambiental conditions by different periods, showed decrescent germination indexes, probably due to the pernicious effect of pulp deterioration. The best results were obtained when the seeds were extracted immediately and sowed after a period of stratification to break dormancy. Seeds collected from fruits kept in cold storage and sowed after cold stratification showed also high germination percentage.