EFFECT OF LOW TEMPERATURE TREATMENT ON GERMINATION OF ACER SACCHARUM SEEDS

Seeds of some Acer species possess the biological character of dormancy.According to this character, the present germination experiment on the Acer saccharum seeds was conducted at low temperature, resulting successfully in a germination percentage up to 95% and also in fast the emergence of the seedlings from the germinated seeds when they were sown. The experiment has shown that the regulatory substances inhibiting gerimnation, which exist mainly in the cotyledon and seed coat, disappear through their transformation at 0-8℃ and that the germination can be induced only under the condition of low temperature. The germination effect would be much better with high humidity (relative humidity of 90-100% used in the experiment).