Banana seed germination after 5 cold nights!
 

Hi!

Yesterday my Brazilian friend told me that my banana seed (11 species, hybrids and provenances) from Rarepalmseeds and Sunshine Seeds are germinated after 5 nights with nearly freeze (near 0°C or near 32°F, so 1°C, 2°C or 33°F, 34°F or 35°F), all of the seeds germinated!!!! :bebe: It's amazing!

I have shipped seeds to Helton to Brazil:

Musa sikkimensis Rarepalmseeds :bebe:
Musa sikkimensis Sunshine Seeds :bebe:
Musa sikkimensis Red Tiger :bebe:
Musa sikkimensis Red Flash :bebe:
Musa sikkimensis Manipur :bebe:
Musa x sikkimensis "Daj Giant" :bebe:
Musa sikkimensis x paradiescana :bebe:
Musa sp. Helen's Hybrid :bebe:
Musa cheesmani :bebe:
Musa yunnanensis :bebe:
Musa siamensis "Thai Gold" :bebe:

Now I can begin my project with crossing bananas. Now I have the importantest bananas for my program in Brazil.

I surmise that hardy and cold tolerant bananas require stratification to germinate. Who has the similar or the same experiences like me?

Best wishes
Basjoofriend

Re: Banana seed germination after 5 cold nights!
 

Very interesting findings! I remember reading that someone had speculated on the benefits of cold stratification, but I know of no one who has tried. I believe that Joe Real had such a post a long while back, if memory serves.

Re: Banana seed germination after 5 cold nights!
 

I'm just getting germination off of some seeds from a single species (Musa sikkimensis) and single supplier. About 30 seeds were split into two groups. One group was kept cold 2-4 C for 7 days, the other was temperature cycled between 26 C and 46 C until germination. After 21 days the temperature cycled group showed some germination.

Not sure what the difference in results are due to, but I am glad for you!

-akebono

Re: Banana seed germination after 5 cold nights!
 

Hi,

also it was a cycle between night and day, near 0°C overnight and so between 20° and 25°C overday. I do remember about germinating Parajubaea torallyi from the Andes from Peru. Musa sikkimensis is a mountain banana from the Himalaya.

Helton has also protected the seed from cold, fortunately no frosts. He also was surprised.

Best wishes
Joachim

Re: Banana seed germination after 5 cold nights!
 

Interesting.

Getting the seeds as close to their natural environment is the key I suspect. It is a strategy for a lot of plants to remain dormant until the conditions are right and this usually comes after a spell of cold weather, I don't see why bananas (especially sikkimensis) should be any different. It won't do any harm to put them in the fridge for a couple of days. I think I'll try just that when my next batch arrives.