Effects of High Temperatures on the Permeability and Germinability of the Hard Seeds of Rhus javanica L.

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Abstract
The effects of temperature, 40–85 °C, on the permeability and germinability of the hard seeds of the pioneer tree Rhus javanica L. with a fire syndrome were studied. The temperature effective for removal of the water-impermeable coat dormancy of the seeds was 55 ± 7·4 °C. With increasing temperature, shorter exposure became sufficient to render the seeds permeable, but at temperatures above 75 °C, heat impairment of germinability resulted in less than 60% germinability, even with long exposure. The most favourable regimes among those tested were temperatures of 65–75 °C for durations of 30–120 min, which frequently occur on denuded ground during the midday hours of clear spring or summer days.