Abstract
This experimental study was conducted at the lath house of Nineva Horticulture station/ Mosul-Iraq . To study the effect of the stratification periods of 0, 60, 90 and 120 days on three cultivators of hazelnut seeds Corylus avellana at (5 ± 1°c). The seeds (Corylus avellana; Emadia local type, Barcelona and Kenttish Cob hazelnut) had been soaked in three concentrations of Gibberellic acid at zero, 250 and 500 mg.lit-1 . respectively. The results asserted that the increased stratification periods and the soaking of the seeds in Gibberellic acid have significant effect on subsequently seedling growth. The study also revealed that there has been a clear-cut difference as regard to the response of the cultivators of the hazelnuts under study and as follows: Barcelona cultivator seedlings which had been grown out of the seeds treated with 500 mg.lit-1 GA3 and stratified for 90 days recorded the highest average of plant highest and diameter as well as one single leaf area The figures read successively: 42.65 cm,5.71mm, 54.20cm2/leaf . The highest average of the number of the leaves on the seedling was 24.45 leaves / seedling on Barcelona seedling cultivator which had grown out of the seeds treated at 500 mg.lit-1 (GA3) and stratified for 60 days. Emadia seeds cultivator treated with 250 mg/lit-1 (GA3) and stratified for 60 days have produced the highest range of shoots number on the seedling amounting to 4.0 shoot/seedling. With significantly advantage as compared with the other treatments.
