Seed dormancy presents a significant challenge in the propagation of many native perennial species, including members of the Asclepias and Liatris genera. This study evaluated the effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on the germination performance of six Liatris species and five Asclepias species using water (control), gibberellic acid (GA), smoke water (SW), or a combination of both (GA+SW) as chemical treatments. The primary objective was to determine whether smoke water could significantly enhance germination and serve as a viable pre-treatment method for horticultural use. Results indicated that stratification significantly enhanced germination, with stratified seeds achieving an average germination rate of 81%, compared to 40% for unstratified seeds confirming its essential role in breaking seed dormancy. Further analysis revealed stratified control treatments led to substantial improvements in germination for L. scariosa, L. microcephala, L. pycnostachya, A. speciosa, A. viridis, and A. incarnata. Germination of L. aspera, L. punctata, A. tuberosa, and A. spicata were also successful using the unstratified control method. Interestingly, unstratified SW improved the germination of A. verticillata and thus, offering a time-effective alternative to stratification in some cases. However, SW caused a decrease in germination of A. tuberosa. The study suggests further research assess pre-treatment effects on seedlings, include diverse species and seed sources, and examine how GA and SW biochemically influence dormancy breaking.
","abstract_html":"<p>Seed dormancy presents a significant challenge in the propagation of many native perennial species, including members of the <em>Asclepias</em> and <em>Liatris</em> genera. This study evaluated the effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on the germination performance of six <em>Liatris</em> species and five <em>Asclepias </em>species using water (control), gibberellic acid (GA), smoke water (SW), or a combination of both (GA+SW) as chemical treatments. The primary objective was to determine whether smoke water could significantly enhance germination and serve as a viable pre-treatment method for horticultural use. Results indicated that stratification significantly enhanced germination, with stratified seeds achieving an average germination rate of 81%, compared to 40% for unstratified seeds confirming its essential role in breaking seed dormancy. Further analysis revealed stratified control treatments led to substantial improvements in germination for <em>L. scariosa</em>, <em>L. microcephala</em>, <em>L. pycnostachya, A. speciosa,</em> <em>A. viridis,</em> and <em>A. incarnata</em>. Germination of <em>L. aspera</em>, <em>L. punctata</em>, <em>A. tuberosa</em>, and <em>A. spicata</em> were also successful using the unstratified control method. Interestingly, unstratified SW improved the germination of <em>A. verticillata</em> and thus, offering a time-effective alternative to stratification in some cases. However, SW caused a decrease in germination of <em>A. tuberosa</em>. The study suggests further research assess pre-treatment effects on seedlings, include diverse species and seed sources, and examine how GA and SW biochemically influence dormancy breaking. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Essien, Jemima"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science - Agriculture","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Agriculture","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Jared Barnes","Dr. Michael Maurer","Dr. Aakriti Sharma"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z","subjects":["Asclepias","Liatris","Germination","Smoke water","Gibberellic Acid","Stratification","Horticulture"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/597","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Jared Barnes","Dr. Michael Maurer","Dr. Aakriti Sharma"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Essien, Jemima"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-05-09T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Agriculture"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science - Agriculture"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Asclepias","Liatris","Germination","Smoke water","Gibberellic Acid","Stratification","Horticulture"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/597"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Seed dormancy presents a significant challenge in the propagation of many native perennial species, including members of the Asclepias and Liatris genera. This study evaluated the effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on the germination performance of six Liatris species and five Asclepias species using water (control), gibberellic acid (GA), smoke water (SW), or a combination of both (GA+SW) as chemical treatments. The primary objective was to determine whether smoke water could significantly enhance germination and serve as a viable pre-treatment method for horticultural use. Results indicated that stratification significantly enhanced germination, with stratified seeds achieving an average germination rate of 81%, compared to 40% for unstratified seeds confirming its essential role in breaking seed dormancy. Further analysis revealed stratified control treatments led to substantial improvements in germination for L. scariosa, L. microcephala, L. pycnostachya, A. speciosa, A. viridis, and A. incarnata. Germination of L. aspera, L. punctata, A. tuberosa, and A. spicata were also successful using the unstratified control method. Interestingly, unstratified SW improved the germination of A. verticillata and thus, offering a time-effective alternative to stratification in some cases. However, SW caused a decrease in germination of A. tuberosa. The study suggests further research assess pre-treatment effects on seedlings, include diverse species and seed sources, and examine how GA and SW biochemically influence dormancy breaking.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Effects of Gibberellic Acid, Smoke Water, and Cold Stratification on the Germination of Asclepias and Liatris Seeds"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Jared Barnes","Dr. Michael Maurer","Dr. Aakriti Sharma"],"dc:creator":["Essien, Jemima"],"dc:date.available":["2025-05-09T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Seed dormancy presents a significant challenge in the propagation of many native perennial species, including members of the Asclepias and Liatris genera. This study evaluated the effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments on the germination performance of six Liatris species and five Asclepias species using water (control), gibberellic acid (GA), smoke water (SW), or a combination of both (GA+SW) as chemical treatments. The primary objective was to determine whether smoke water could significantly enhance germination and serve as a viable pre-treatment method for horticultural use. Results indicated that stratification significantly enhanced germination, with stratified seeds achieving an average germination rate of 81%, compared to 40% for unstratified seeds confirming its essential role in breaking seed dormancy. Further analysis revealed stratified control treatments led to substantial improvements in germination for L. scariosa, L. microcephala, L. pycnostachya, A. speciosa, A. viridis, and A. incarnata. Germination of L. aspera, L. punctata, A. tuberosa, and A. spicata were also successful using the unstratified control method. Interestingly, unstratified SW improved the germination of A. verticillata and thus, offering a time-effective alternative to stratification in some cases. However, SW caused a decrease in germination of A. tuberosa. The study suggests further research assess pre-treatment effects on seedlings, include diverse species and seed sources, and examine how GA and SW biochemically influence dormancy breaking.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/597"],"dc:subject":["Asclepias","Liatris","Germination","Smoke water","Gibberellic Acid","Stratification","Horticulture"],"dc:title":["The Effects of Gibberellic Acid, Smoke Water, and Cold Stratification on the Germination of Asclepias and Liatris Seeds"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Agriculture"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science - Agriculture"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:45Z"}