Effect of acorn moisture content at sowing on germination and seedling growth of white oak and northern red oak
This article is part of a larger document. View the larger document here.Abstract
White oak (Quercus alba L.) and northern red oak (Q. rubra L.) acorns were collected locally or from seed orchards in October 2002. Mean acorn moisture content (MC) was 48 percent for white oak and 39 percent for northern red oak. These acorns were air dried to different MCs before being sown into nursery beds in early December 2002. Acorn MC at sowing had a great impact on germination percentage, especially for white oak. White oak acorns with 48, 40, 30, and 20 percent MC had 70, 53, 12, and 3 percent germination, respectively. Northern red oak acorns with 39, 35, 25, and 15 percent MC had 84, 80, 68, and 46 percent germination, respectively. However, acorn MC at sowing did not affect first-year seedling growth or grading for either species. In November 2003, another study of white oak acorn MC was implemented. Germination was 90, 57, and 22 percent for acorns with 49, 33, and 25 percent MC, respectively. In this experiment, as in the first one, acorn MC at sowing did not affect growth of white oak seedlings.