Breaking Seed Dormancy of Clematis ispahanica and Its Optimum Planting Depth and Density (Case study: Bavanat, Fars Province)

Clematis ispahanica Boiss is a rare species of Ranunculaceae family, which has forage and medicinal value. The seeds of this species have a very low germination percentage because of dormancy. Therefore, increasing their germination percentage by laboratory methods can be effective in restoring this plant. In the present study, considering the seed size of C. ispahanica , H2SO4 (96% ) for 5 , 10, 20 seconds , hot water (70 and 90 °C .) for 15 minutes, ethanol (96%) for 48hours, HCL ( for 2, 4 and 6 minutes), KNO3 (0.2%) for 48 hours, NaCl (50 milli molar) for 48hours, and scarification using sandpaper were tested to break the seed dormancy. Moreover, the seeds of this species were planted in different depths (1, 1.5 and 2.5 cm) and densities (30, 50 and 70 seeds per square meter). Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 18 and by univariate analysis of variance and the Duncan test. According to the results, the most effective treatments to improve germination percentage and rate were KNO3, NaCl and scarification treatments. The depth of planting had a significant effect (P<0.05) on the germination percentage, but the density of planting had no significant effect on the germination percentage (P> 0.05). Due to the lack of use of chemicals in scarification using sandpaper treatment, it has an advantage over other effective treatments, recommended to break seed dormancy and increase its germination percentage. Considering the weight of a thousand seeds (3.73gr), 1.12 kg/ha seed (equivalent to 30 seeds per square meter) in the depth of 1.5 cm is proposed for the planting of this species in the study area.