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Home → Publications → Tree Planters' Notes → Tree Planters' Notes Volume 22, Number 4 (1971) → Long-Term Storage of Black Cherry Seed is it Effective?

Long-Term Storage of Black Cherry Seed is it Effective?

Storage of tree seed for 1 year or more is often necessary, because most species do not produce good crops every year. Although Heit1 had suggested that black cherry (Prunus serotina) seed can be successfully stored in sealed containers at low temperature, little specific information was available on long-term storage of this species. Therefore, we studied the germination of black cherry seed stored for 1 to 3 years in several types of containers under various temperature and seed moisture conditions. We found that high seed viability can be maintained for at least 3 years by storage in a refrigerator at 33° to 41°F. or by drying the seed to 4 to 6 percent moisture content and storage in a freezer at 0° to 6°F. Freezer storage at high moisture content and storage at room temperature both resulted in loss of viability.


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Author(s): Harold J. Huntzinger

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 22, Number 4 (1971)

Volume: 22

Number: 4