Germination of Four Associated Conifers Stratified in Various Humus and Mineral Substrates
The effects of duff of Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine as stratification media were studied on local seeds of these species. Stratification in mineral substrates provided a standard measure of the germination potential of the used seeds. The viability of all seeds tested was seriously damaged by stratification in unsterilized Engelmann spruce litter, and somewhat impaired by unsterilized litter of subalpine fir and Douglas-fir. These effects were controlled by either heat sterilization of the substrates or protection of the seeds with Orthocide 75, a commercial fungicide powder containing 75 percent Captan by weight, and were, therefore, attributed to differences in the microflora of the substrates.
Schmidt, Josef (1969). Germination of four associated conifers stratified in various humus and mineral substrates. MS. 77p.