SEED GERMINATION OF RHODODENDRON CALOPHYTUM PLANCH. IN RESPONSE TO TEMPERATURE, LIGHT, AND GA3©

Bing Zhao, Jin-Ying Dong, Donglin Zhang
Rhododendron calophytum Planch., commonly named large leaf rhododendron or meili rhododendron is in the Ericaceae family, Rhododendron genus. It is an endemic evergreen plant with beautiful flowers, found in high mountains at altitudes of 1,300 to 4,000 m in south-west China (Ran et al., 2010). This includes the Qinling Mountains, where the species is beneficial for helping to maintain the stability of the ecosystem. Rhododendron calophytum germplasm is endangered because of excessive excavation activities. Additionally, few cultivars are cultivated and utilized in modern city landscape.
In order to protect R. calophytum from extinction, help maintain its diversity, and utilization of its multiple-color landscape cultivars, it is necessary to develop propagation systems for R. calophytum. Seed propagation can be used to protect germplasm and enrich genetic diversity of the species (Zhang et al., 2010). More importantly, for wild resources, seedlings of diverse populations are more easily adapted to new environments than seedlings collected and transplanted from the mountains.
Bing Zhao, , Jin-Ying Dong, and Donglin Zhang, (2014). SEED GERMINATION OF RHODODENDRON CALOPHYTUM PLANCH. IN RESPONSE TO TEMPERATURE, LIGHT, AND GA3©. Acta Hortic. 1055, 463-468
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1055.98
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1055.98
English

Acta Horticulturae