The Effects of Gibberellic Acid, Smoke Water, and Cold Stratification on the Germination of Asclepias and Liatris Seeds

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science - Agriculture

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agriculture

Year dc:date.available

2025

Author dc:creator

• Essien, Jemima

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Jared Barnes
• Dr. Michael Maurer
• Dr. Aakriti Sharma

• Asclepias
• Liatris
• Germination
• Smoke water
• Gibberellic Acid
• Stratification
• Horticulture

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/597

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1658