The Effect of Different Harvesting Stages of Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) on Seed Germination Percentage and the Effect of Sucker Age and Transplantation Time on Jujube Trees Success

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) belongs to the Rhamnaceae family. This plant is not only useful economically and industrially, it is also medicinally valuable and is very important in the Iranian traditional medicine. Propagation method of jujube tree is one of the issues challenging orchardists. This study has been carried out with the aim of identifying and evaluating the sexual and asexual methods of jujube propagation. The experimentation was done using three factors in the form of randomized complete block design in three replications. Sexual propagation experiment was done with the factor of seed age in three levels of last-year seed, current-year ripe seed and half-ripe (green-red) with treatments including control, 500ppm gibberellic acid for 24 hours, 4 degrees centigrade chill for one month and 50% sulfuric acid for 5 minutes in order to further determine seed germination percentage. Results from the analysis of the data variance related to seed germination percentage indicated that the effect of seed age, seed treatments and their reciprocal effect was significant (P<0.01). A comparison of the mean data related to the reciprocal effect of seed age and its treatments demonstrated that the highest percentage of seed germination occurred in the current-year, ripe seed with 500ppm gibberellic acid for 24 hours treatment. Asexual propagation experiment was done with the factors of sucker age in three two-, four- and six-year-old levels with two October and March transplantation times in three replications in order to determine sucker success percentage. Results from the analysis of the data variance related to success percentage indicated that the effect of sucker age, transplantation time and the reciprocal effect of the two factors on success percentage was significant (P<0.01). Comparing the mean data related to the reciprocal effect of sucker age and transplantation time showed that four-year-old suckers transplanted in October had the highest sucker success.