Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Agriculture
Department
Agriculture
First Advisor
Dr. Jared Barnes
Second Advisor
Dr. Michael Maurer
Third Advisor
Dr. Aakriti Sharma
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.
Repository Citation
Essien, Jemima, "The Effects of Gibberellic Acid, Smoke Water, and Cold Stratification on the Germination of Asclepias and Liatris Seeds" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 597.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/597
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
