Germination and seedling development of Baccharis crispa Spreng. (Asteraceae) in San Luis (Argentina)

The present work contributes information on germination and seedling growth of "carqueja", a medicinal species overexploited in the Province of San Luis (Argentina) with the aim of adapting it to commercial cultivation. Seeds of different ages were sown in plastic containers filled with a mixture of vermiculite, sand and garden soil previously sterilized by heat; they were moistened with water and left at 23 +/- 2 degrees C under natural photoperiod. All tests lasted until length of shoots and roots were taken and the relationship root/shoot calculated. Results show the best germinative power in the two months old seeds. This may relate to the primary rest period, which would be overcome by two months of dry storage. The root grew four times more than the shoot which may indicate a survival strategy of the species that, under natural conditions lives in dry soils, poor in nutrients.