Germinability and fungal occurrence in seeds of Abies alba Mill. populations in southern Italy

Abstract

Germination tests were carried out on seeds from three Italian populations of Abies alba. Seed germinability was up to 38%. HgCl₂, NaClO and plant preservative mixture were used as seed‐sterilising agents. Despite chemical treatments, Papulaspora rubida and Chaetomium globosum were isolated. The possible role of these fungi in the physiology of silver fir seed germination process was discussed.

Keywords:

• Silver fir
• seed germination
• Papulaspora rubida
• Chaetomium globosum

Acknowledgement

This research was financially supported by the project “Utilizzazione di metaboliti bioattivi nella protezione di piante agrarie e forestali” granted by the University of Bari.