Mise au point d'un test rapide de germination des faînes (<i>Fagus</i><i>sylvatica</i>)

Abstract

The use of gibberellic acid (GA 3 ) to break dormancy has enabled us to develop a new and quick germination test for Fagussylvatica L. nuts. The test procedure involves removing the external pericarps, sterilizing the nuts, removing the internal coats, and germinating the bare nuts on cotton wool moistened with a solution of GA 3 (200 mg/l) in darkness at 20 °C. Under these test conditions, it was possible to obtain good results after 3 to 4 weeks as compared with those obtained after 3 to 4 months by conventional methods.