STRATIFICATION IS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESSFUL CRYOPRESERVATION OF AXES FROM STORED HAZELNUT SEED

Stratification of stored hazelnut seed improved shoot production from both control and cryopreserved isolated embryonic axes. Axes from fres hly harvested nuts grown in vitro had viabilities of 90% to 100% with shoot production of 60% to 80% but shoot production decreased to near 30% for both control and cryopreserved axes from seed stored for one m onth. Shoot growth of axes from seed stored for four months increased from 33% to 94% when seeds were stratified for two weeks before axis r emoval. Axes from stratified-stored seed were dried to 8% moisture und er laminar flow and cryopreserved with resulting 85% viability and 70% shoot growth rates, while only 30% of unstratified axes produced shoo ts.