Seed Germination Behavior, Molecular Analysis of Four Populations of <i>Arbutus andrachne</i> Species from Greece, and Cultivation Practice for Producing High-Quality Plants

Abstract

Arbutus andrachne, the Greek strawberry tree, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae native to the Mediterranean basin, and is a valuable phytogenetic resource. In the context of sustainable exploitation of A. andrachne, four Greek natural populations of species were selected and a detailed germination protocol, molecular analysis, and cultivation practices were reported herein for the first time. The 1 month period of cold stratification or the treatment with gibberellic acid resulted in similar patterns of seed germination over a wide temperature range for all four populations. Differences among the four populations were observed in five of six morphological traits measured in 1-year-old seedlings. The 2-year-old plants grown in plastic bags (2.26 L in volume) showed superior growth rates. Foliage, but not roots, of 2-year-old seedlings supplemented with mineral fertilizers had higher fresh masses than untreated seedlings. The four A. andrachne accessions exhibited more genetic variability within than among populations.

Keywords

• cold stratification
• container size
• fertilization
• genetic variation
• gibberellic acid
• plant production