CHILLING OF PEACH SEEDS, SEEDLINGS AND CUTTINGS

Correlations were made between the responses of seeds, physiologically dwarfed seedlings and dormant cuttings to similar chilling treatments. Seed germination correlated highly with growth of physiologically dwarfed seedlings and shoot growth of dormant cuttings. Emergence and seedling growth correlated poorly with germination, growth of physiologically dwarfed seedlings and shoot growth of dormant cuttings. Thus, germination was a better seed predictor of the mature peach chilling response than emergence or seedling growth. Growth of dwarfed seedlings correlated highly with shoot growth of dormant cuttings. The anomalous leaf condition of peach seedlings may have confounded seedling growth after seed chilling, but was not a problem when the chilling treatment was provided to physiologically dwarfed seedlings. The dormancy release mechanisms that promoted seed germination, growth of physiologically dwarfed seedlings and growth of dormant cuttings were similar.