Université Laval
M.Sc. candidate
Supervisor: Monique Poulin
Dany Garant
Start: 2026-01-07
End: 2027-12-31

Project

Evaluation and refinement of seed pre-germination and coating techniques to enhance the germination of herbaceous plants commonly used in wetland restoration projects
Ecological restoration projects based on seeding often have success rates of less than 10%. This is partly due to abiotic and biotic barriers that arise as early as the critical stage of germination, as well as a lack of knowledge about the biology of native species (Brown et al., 2021). Seed pre-germination and coating appear to be a promising approach to mitigate these pressures and improve seedling establishment (Brown et al., 2021; Pedrini, 2018). This research aims to investigate the potential of these two techniques for wetland restoration. To this end, various experimental variables related to pre-germination techniques (duration, temperature, and light during soaking, drying process, etc.) and coating techniques (materials, thicknesses, etc.) will be tested under controlled conditions on 10 species commonly used for wetland restoration in Quebec. The expected results are a significant improvement in germination rate through pre-germination compared to the control. For the majority of species, this acceleration should be directly related to soaking duration: longer durations (48 h and 72 h) should yield the highest germination rates. However, these extended durations may lead to a decrease in the survival of pregerminated seeds beyond a certain storage period. Regarding seed coating, the expected results will depend heavily on the technique used in terms of the composition and thickness of the materials. Nevertheless, the best coating compounds should improve seedling vigor, particularly under more adverse growing conditions (water stress, heat stress). In both of these techniques, the addition of additives will lead to better overall germination performance. This project provides a solid foundation for the exploration and development of these seed technologies in the conservation and restoration of wetlands, although these results have yet to be demonstrated under natural conditions.