Germination and cultivation protocols for 20 peatland and wet environment species of interest to the LIFE TREMEDAL project completed (20/01/2015)

Following the collection, cleaning and storage of reproductive material of the project’s 20 target taxa, and the relevant germination tests having been performed at the Germplasm Bank at the Atlantic Botanical Garden in Gijón, the Germination and Cultivation Protocols for each of the taxa have now been written up.

In addition to including general information on the habitats, distributions and blooming periods of these species, the Protocols also describe the relevant biological features of their seeds (type and weight, method of dispersion and adaptation to the method, type of dormancy, optimum germination temperature, response to temperature alternation, need for light), a set of basic methodological guidelines for propagation (collection period, need for antifungal or other previous treatment, percentage of empty seeds, planting period and depth, average germination time at ambient temperature, vegetative reproduction system and suitable period for reproduction) and different factors to bear in mind regarding cultivation and development (type of container, substratum composition and pH, frequency and type of irrigation, hardness of the water, fertilisation, special requirements, definitive planting period).

With this information, it is possible to develop optimum practices for propagation from seeds and/or vegetative parts, and define the cultivation requirements for each species according to its particular ecophysiology.