EFECTO DEL ALMACENAMIENTO SOBRE LA VIABILIDAD Y LA GERMINACIÓN DE BELLOTAS DE Quercus rugosa Y Quercus g/abrescens

Abstract

The present assessment study was carried out with acorns of Q. glabrescens and Q. rugosa from El Chico National Park under storage conditions and it was determined its effect upon germination. Mature acorns were collected, selected and placed, humid, in sealed plastic bags to put into a refrigerator at 5 to 7ºC; they were reviewed every 30 days during 15 months. A record was kept of the viable, germinated, rotten and dehydrated acorns in each species as well as the time of storage. Results show that both species had similar amounts of rotten acorns (30 per cent), but Q g/abrescens had a higher proportion of germinated acoms (69%) than Q. rugosa (54%). The viability of stored acorns diminished in both species, but those of Q. glabrescens was even faster; however, there was no more germination of the latter form the tenth month onwards, while Q. rugosa showed 7.5% of viability after 15 months. As a conclusion, it can be stated that to preserve 50 per cent of viability, acorns of Q. glabrescens can be stored a shorter time (perhaps near six months) than those of Q. rugosa . However, both seem to have a similar sensibility to rottenness dueto storage.