2017 ASHS Annual Conference

With a nationwide increase in drought and the depletion of water resources, native plants are becoming more desired due to their lower water and fertility requirements. Additionally, they help native fauna, and can aid in erosion control. Because of germination and production issues, there are not many marketable native plants for arid and semiarid environments. The objective of this project was to test and enhance the germination of three native plant species using various pre-emergent treatments. The goal was to find a treatment that produced over 80% germination, so the seeds would become commercially marketable. Treatments included cold water drip, room temperature soak, cold water soak, cold moist stratification, hot water soak, potassium nitrate soak and freeze, cold soak/dry/freeze, tepid soak/dry/tepid soak, and a 5% solution Clorox bleach soak. The treated seeds were then stratified. Germination rate and germination percent were recorded. Plant species included: Zinnia grandiflora, Salvia farinacea, and Berlandiera lyrata. Both the ray and disk seeds of Zinnia grandiflora were tested alongside the Salvia and Berlandiera. Overall, various water soaks and drips increased percent germination. Additionally, the Zinnia ray flower seed had a higher germination percent than did the disc flower seed.