##  [Effects of Cold Stratification on the Germination of Vaccinium myrtilloides (Common Blueberry) and Vaccinium vitis-idaea (Bog Cranberry) Seeds from Alberta, Canada](/resource/effects-cold-stratification-germination-vaccinium-myrtilloides-common-blueberry-and) 

Organization

[NAIT Centre for Boreal Research (NAIT CBR)](/organization/nait-centre-boreal-research-nait-cbr)

 

 

Project

[Plant and Seed Technologies](/project/plant-and-seed-technologies)

 

Resource Type

[Peer reviewed article](/taxonomy/term/37)

 

 

Author(s)

Jessica Hudson

Çağdaş Kera Yücel

Amanda Schoonmaker

Jean-Marie Sobze

 

 

Original Authors

Jessica Hudson

Çağdaş Kera Yücel

Amanda Schoonmaker

Jean-Marie Sobze

 

 

Contacts

[Jessica Hudson ](/contact/jessica-hudson)

[Çağdaş Kera Yücel](/contact/cagdas-kera-yucel)

[Amanda Schoonmaker](/contact/amanda-schoonmaker)

[Jean-Marie Sobze](/contact/jean-marie-sobze)

 

 

Resource Date:

2017

 

Page Length

6

 

 

*This resource is available on an external database and may require a paid subscription to access it. It is included on the CCLM to support our goal of capturing and sharing the breadth of all available knowledge pertaining to Boreal Caribou, Wetlands, and Land Management.*

*Vaccinium vitis-idaea* L. (Ericaceae) and *Vaccinium myrtilloides* Michx. are important agronomic and ecological species. Several food products are derived from these species throughout Europe and North America, and they are becoming important plants for land reclamation. Several studies have indicated that stratification can be beneficial for the germination of Vaccinium seed species including *V. vitis-idaea* and *V. myrtilloides*; however, the recommended stratification lengths vary from 12 wk to 10 mo. This study investigated the optimal time for cold stratification of *V. vitis-idaea* and *V. myrtilloides* seeds collected in Alberta, Canada. Seed treatments consisted of unstratified as well as 2, 4, and 8-wk stratification periods. Our results indicate that the 8-wk cold stratification period provided the highest mean germination and uniformity for *V. vitis-idaea*, but mean germination time was longer compared to the other stratification treatments. Moreover, 8-wk stratified *V. myrtilloides* seeds showed the lowest average germination percentage and the least amount of synchronization. Similar studies involving *V. vitis-idaea* presented comparable findings to this study but further studies are required to determine stratification strategies for *V. myrtilloides*. Further research of *V. myrtilloides* seed characteristics, such as dormancy, may be beneficial for gaining a better understanding of the effects of stratification on germination.

View more publications by NAIT Centre for Boreal Research [here.](https://www.nait.ca/applied-research/technical-resources)