Effectiveness of pre-sowing scarification methods of black locust seeds

Dormancy of black locust seeds is exogenous imposed by hard seed coat a physical barrier to water enters to embryo. Seeds need scarification of seed coat before sowing. In practice, this can be done in different (thermal, mechanical, chemical and natural) methods. Effects of the previous two of them were compared on laboratory germination capacity and seedling emergence in the forest nursery. Statistically higher germinability and seedling emergence were obtained after mechanical scarification of seeds. After inconsiderable modification, the device for mechanical seed extraction from larch cones can be used as mechanical scarifier of black locust seeds.