Effects of Four Years Storage on Germination of R-55 Repellent-Treated White Spruce Seeds

The need for a more effective coating formulation to protect white spruce seeds from rodent depredation led to experimentation using a potent rodent repellent, R-55. Germination tests were conducted at two- to three-month intervals over a period of four years to determine possible phytotoxic effects of the R-55 coating when seeds were returned to cold storage. Germination of treated seeds declined only moderately over this period.