Hello all,
Recently as part of a research project at university, we have been studying the effects of light and temperature on eucalyptus seed germination.
In our initial run of trials we experienced high levels of mould contamination on our seeds exposed to 35/25c which is suspected to have reduced the germination rate below what would be expected without the mould.
All seeds were rinsed 4-5 times in 5% bleach followed by an RO water rinsing before being placed into the petri dishes with filter paper. They were then moistened with RO water every 2 days and sealed with 2 layers of parafilm as they dry out quite fast without it.
We are looking to repeat this group but currently have limited ideas on how to prevent the same issues occurring. Some forums have mentioned soaking seeds but we have seen the seeds degrade and become soft after a number of minutes when trialling this.
Any ideas would be greatly welcomed :)
Is it essential to do the germination in petri dishes? You could try germination in soil (which does of course come with mold spores of its own).
Other thoughts are to try a brief rinse in ethanol instead of bleach. You could try adding some surfactant as well to help rinse off the mold spores. Tween works well, just use a low %, even a bit of dish soap can help.
@amy klocko
This component of the study is comparing the effects of light and temperature profiles on the germination rate so it's essential to use petri dishes.
We had no issues with the lower temperatures but this highest group is having some real mould issues.
I will try and ethanol wash on our next attempt thank you
If mold is growing, it itself is an indication of aged/non-viable seeds. I doubt if these seeds will ever show 100% germination. Yet you want to germinate those, then sterilize your filter papers, use normal yet autoclaved water. If this doesn't help, use some fungicide.
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