THE EFFECT OF WHITE-LIGHT, GROWTH-REGULATORS AND TEMPERATURE ON THE GERMINATION OF BLUEBERRY (VACCINIUM-MYRTILLUS L) SEEDS

Seeds of Vaccinium myrtillus L. are light requiring. Maximum germinati on is induced by, at least, 5 days of white light irradiation. Germina tion can be induced in darkness by gibberellic acid or N-substituted p htalimide AC-94,377, the latter being more effective than GA(3). Growt h retardants ancymidol, tetcyclacis, paclobutrazol and uniconazole, in cluding fungicide triadimephon, completely prevent light-induced germi nation, while CCC did it only partially. The inhibitory effect of the retardants is overcome by gibberellic acid or AC-94,377. The seeds ger minate within the temperature range 4 degrees C to 31 degrees C, with the optimum between 19-25 degrees C, for light-induced, 16-27 degrees C for GA(3), and 12-27 degrees C, for AC-induced seeds.