Seed Germination of Myrica nana Cheval

Myrica nana Cheval, an evergreen shrub, belongs to Myricaceae. It is a species with narrow geographical range and endemic to Yunnan, Western Guizhou and Chaou (Tibet) in China. The germination rates of Myrica nana are normally low under natural conditions, resulting in the losing of Myrica nana germplasm resources and habitat. To improve the seed germination, Myrica nana seeds were stratified at cold for 3-30 months under clay and sand. The results showed that at least 180-days of cold stratification was required. The germination rate reached the highest at 60.8% after 240-day stratification, then decreased slowly until 2.5 years when the seed completely lost its viability. Media for stratifications also played an important role for seed fermination. Seeds under the clay had only 26.0% germination while 48.5% under the sand. Humidity significantly affected the seed germination and the highest germination rate of 52.5% was obtained under 26.24% humidity. Higher or lower humidity decreased the seed germination. Temperature was also a major factor that influenced the seed germination and the germination rate reached the highest at 35.5% under 8C. Seed germination of Myrica nana could be significantly increased if stratufying properly and further invstigation should be conducted to achieve higher germination rates.