Effect of acid scarification and cold stratification on the seed germination characteristics of Canadian buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt.)

Canadian buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis (L.) Nutt.) is a nitrogen-fixing, drought-resistant perennial deciduous shrub widely distributed from Alaska to Maine, South Dakota, and the mountains of Arizona and indigenous to Alberta. It has been highly recommended for land reclamation and revegetation of nutrient-poor industrial disturbed soils in Alberta, Canada. However, commercial greenhouses and forest nurseries lack the information to optimize seed germination and genetic diversity in their produce seedlings. Currently, no cost-effective methods exist to propagate and fill the demand for reclamation seedlings. In this study, we investigated the interactive effect of cold stratification duration (0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks) and scarification time (1 hour and 4 hours) on buffaloberry seed germination.