Influence of biometric parameters of black nut fruit (Juglans nigra L.) on seed germination

Abstract

Goal. To establish the influence of quantitative biometric parameters of the black nut fruit on the dormancy of its seeds. Methods. The results of the research were processed according to generally accepted methods in agriculture, plant growing, statistics. Field — to collect fruits, measuring weight — to determine fruit parameters, spectrometric, mathematical-statistical — to carry out analysis of variance and statistical processing of research results to assess their reliability. Results. The relationships between the biometric parameters of the fruit of Juglans nigra L. — its size, weight, and thickness of the shell, the magnitude of the force of its splitting, the mass of the nucleus for germination. A positive correlation was found between the yield of the nut kernel and the mass of the endocarp, and the effort to split the shell was determined by its mass. According to 3-year research, the inversely proportional dependence of the quantitative indicators of the amount of splitting on the mass of the endocarp has been proved, on which the strength of seed germination depends — the smaller the endocarp, the harder it is to germinate. The influence of the stratification process on the strength of the shell and endocarp, the humidity of which increases up to 5 times, which reduces their strength during splitting, is determined. Conclusions. It was found that the yield of the nut kernel depends on the mass of the endocarp; the effort to split the shell of the nut — from its mass and shows a positive correlation with the mass of the kernel; the effort to split 1 g of mass is inversely proportional to the mass of the endocarp and directly proportional to the mass of the nucleus. The smaller the endocarp, the harder it is to germinate; the moisture content of the shell (almost 5 times) and the endocarp in general changes in the process of stratification, resulting in a decrease in its strength in splitting.