GA3 or Smoke Discs?

[Brolloks]

Hi all,

I have got some Roridula and Byblis seeds which I have been itching to see if I can get to germinate.
Now for seed treatment, I have got both GA3 and Smoke Discs but which would work better?

Regards

 

[BigBella]

Hi all,

I have got some Roridula and Byblis seeds which I have been itching to see if I can get to germinate.
Now for seed treatment, I have got both GA3 and Smoke Discs but which would work better?

Regards

Given that you have it on hand, I'd go with the GA3, at about 250 ppm . . .

 

[Brolloks]

Hi BigBella,

Any reason why GA3 would be chosen over Smoke primer?
I have also read that you need to use a few drops of rubbing alcohol to dissolve the GA3 before you add water, is this true?

Thanks

 

[hcarlton]

Yes, a small amount of rubbing alcohol is required to dissolve pure (or nearly so) gibberellins, because the chemical is naturally hydrophobic. However, the amount of alcohol used in comparison to the amount of water the solution is placed into is negligible.

 

[Brolloks]

ok, I have got 85% GA3 powder so will use a bit of Alcohol. The only issue is measuring such a small amount of powder is proving to be a challenge..

 

[BigBella]

ok, I have got 85% GA3 powder so will use a bit of Alcohol. The only issue is measuring such a small amount of powder is proving to be a challenge..

There are a number of sites which will instruct you on mixing GA3 and ball-parking the concentrations necessary for success. It is generally helpful to have a small digital scale on hand, which can be had for less than US 20.00 on eBay.

Gibberellic acid GA3 a potent plant growth regulator

 

[Brolloks]

Thanks for the info!

 

[naoki]

Brolloks, did it work? I came across this paper recently:
Seed germination of the carnivorous plant Byblis gigantea (Byblidaceae) is cued by warm stratification and karrikinolide - Cross - 2013 - Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society - Wiley Online Library

Full text is probably not accessible for non-academic site. But they tested the germination of B. gigantea. Basically GA didn't have positive effect for seed germination under most conditions (temp, light combinations). But karrikinolide (KAR1) has increased the gemination rate significantly. KAR1 has been identified as the bioactive components of aqueous smoke for seed germination in many species. So smoke water would have been a better bet.

 

[nimbulan]

That is interesting. I've only ever read about people using GA3 for Byblis seeds - perhaps the perennials are different?

 

[naoki]

I'm not sure. According to the paper, seed biology of Byblis is least studied among carnivorous plants. So it would be interesting to see if perennials are different.

 

[nimbulan]

When I looked I found pretty much zero information about germinating seeds of the perennial species. There were a lot of people trying various concentrations of GA3 for B. liniflora, B. guehoi, and various hybrids though.

 

[naoki]

I think I tried GA3 with B. guerhoi last year, but it didn't work for me. But I think I probably should have done 8 wks or so of warm stratification before GA3. I'm still reading up on KAR1, but it seems there is interaction between ABA, GA and KAR1. Sensitivity to KAR1 seems to be fairly wide spread among plants, even in plants outside of areas with regular fire, and it could be an ancestral trait (we still don't know). In some cases, KAR1 is speculated to trigger an upstream process of GA production (which compete against ABA, the hormone which makes seeds stay dormant). So it is kind of surprising that GA3 didn't have much effects in the study.

 

[Not a Number]

Interesting, I've never had problems dissolving ~100% GA3 in distilled water. Just agitate until dissolved. But then I never mix more than 0.5cc of solution at a time.

I've gotten good results following Allen Lowrie's recommendations for germinating Byblis guehoi - 80% or better germination beginning 3-4 days after a 24 hour treatment and sowing. Some species Lowrie recommends a 48-72 hour treatment.

Protocols discussed here:
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/s...eeeeelp-received-ga3-byblis-hybrid-seeds.html

 

[naoki]

Thanks for the link. I will try again. At the very end of thread, you mentioned testing if GA is really needed. Did you try that?

Cross et al. used 2.89mM of GA3 (which is 1000ppm), and saw not much effect. When they were germinating in dark (instead of 12/12 day night), then GA3 did increase the germination rate from 0 to 10% or so (which is the level of germination with 12/12h without GA3).

I think GA3 solubility is 5000ppm according to wikipedia. When my students do lab projects of seed germination (of Alaskan plants, not CP), we also dilute it without alcohol up to 2000ppm. And it hasn't been a problem.

 

[Not a Number]

There is an optimal concentration that is species specific also. Too high of a concentration can have an inhibiting effect on germination.

I did not try further tests. I either ran out of seed or just got lazy

If you haven't read them Norman C. Deno's papers on seed germination are worth reading.