INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE AND SUBSTRATE ON THE GERMINATION OF ARTICHOKE ACHENES

Experiments were carried out on the capacity to germinate of artichoke seeds, comparing the results of a test concerning the combination of 4 cultivars (two hybrids and two open pollinated cultivars) and 6 heat treatments and the results of a second test concerning the combination of two cultivars, two heat treatments and two substrates. We compared the evolution of the capacity to germinate in time between the different treatments of the same test sample by analysing the values adopted by the assumed parameters of a modified version of the function of Richards adapted to the experimental values observed in each experiment. The remarkably flexible function of Richards always provided adapted values in line with the observed values and the simple biological significance of the values of the parameters of its modified version made interpreting the results more simple. The first test in particular showed that the capacity to germinate was higher in the two hybrids than in the open pollinated cultivars, while in the heat treatments the capacity to germinate went down as the temperature increased. Moreover, in the second test it was possible to simulate, in the laboratory, the capacity to germinate obtained in the open field at a temperature of 20°C.