Pre-Germination Treatments, Temperature, and Light Conditions Improved Seed Germination of Passiflora incarnata L

Luciana G. Angelini, Clarissa Clemente and Silvia Tavarini
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Luciana G. Angelini: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Clarissa Clemente: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Silvia Tavarini: Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Via del Borghetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-10

Abstract: Perennial medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) may represent interesting, environmentally friendly crops for the Mediterranean environments. Among MAPs, Passiflora incarnata L. (maypop) represents a very promising crop for its wide adaptability to diverse climatic conditions, low input requirements, and high added-value due to its unique medicinal properties. The main problem in P. incarnata large-scale cultivation is the poor seed quality with erratic and low seed germination, due to its apparent pronounced seed dormancy. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate different chemical and physical treatments for overpassing seed dormancy and enhancing seed germination rates of P. incarnata . The effects of (i) different pre-germination treatments (pre-chilling, gibberellic acid—GA 3 , leaching, scarification, non-treated control), (ii) light or darkness exposure, and (iii) temperature conditions (25, 30, and 35 °C constant and 20–30 °C alternating temperatures) have been examined in seed germination percentage and mean germination time of three P. incarnata accessions (F2016, FF2016, and A2016) grown in field conditions in Central Italy. Data showed that the pre-germination treatments generally stimulated faster germination compared to the control, with the best results obtained in the dark and with high temperatures. These findings are useful for the choice of the most suitable seed pre-germination treatment that can facilitate stable, high and agronomically acceptable germination rates in P. incarnata.

Keywords: maypop; medicinal and aromatic plants; crop diversification; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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