THE EFFECT OF SEED SIZE ON GERMINATION, SURVIVAL AND INITIAL GROWTH IN WHITE SPRUCE

Abstract

A 50 gram sample of white spruce seed of regular nursery production quality was divided into three size classes, (a) small, <1.41 mm, (b) medium, 1.41-1.59 mm, (c) large >1.59 mm. Laboratory tests were conducted with 2,000 seeds of each size class in a 2:1, sand: peat soil mixture.The differences in total germination and in the first year's survival rates, between the three seed size classes were found to be not statistically significant. The difference in the height and weight of the seedlings, after one season's growth, small, 19.0 mm and 5.8 mg., medium, 21.7 mm and 7.7 mg., large, 24.9 mm and 9.8 mg., were found to be highly significant.From the results of this test it is concluded that the larger the white spruce seed the larger will be the resultant seedling after the first season's growth, but seed size affects neither the germination nor the survival rate in this species.