Analysis of germination of caper seeds as influenced by the position of fruit on the mother plant, fruit maturation stage and fruit weight

This two-year study (1999-2000) analysed the effects of three factors on the germination of caper seeds: the fruit position on the mother plant, the fruit maturation stage and the unit fruit weight. Plants of cultivar Comun were grown in Valencia, Spain. Ripe fruits were collected in September and early October. Mature dark brown seeds were selected. Germination tests were performed in closed Petri dishes in a growth chamber. Germination data were fitted to the logistic function and variables such as the maximum germination percentage; the time to reach 50% of final germination and the mean relative cumulative rate were calculated. The results indicate that the use of the logistic function is adequate to analyse the germination of caper seeds. The final germination percentage was affected by fruit position and unit fruit weight, but not by the fruit maturation stage. The best results, over 90%, were obtained with fruits of large or medium size and with fruits set in the central or apical region of the branches. The time to reach 50% of final percentage and the mean relative cumulative rate were not affected by the factors studied. There were marked differences between the average values of these variables corresponding to the two years studied.