The Time for Collecting of Cryptomeria japonica Seeds

The time of seed collection is regarded as one of major concerns to obtain sound seeds. The physical and germinal aspects of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don (Taxodiaceae) seeds were analyzed to determine the optimum harvesting time in Korea. Cones were picked every 10 days from the $30^{th}$ of July to the $30^{th}$ of October in both 2005 and 2006. Seeds were collected from picked cones. Seed size and weight were not significant in two consecutive years. The 1,000-seed weight was 3.3 g for cones picked at the $18^{th}$ of August and 5.3 g for cones picked at the $30^{th}$ of September. The size of seeds was increased as the time of collection from the $18^{th}$ of August to the $30^{th}$ of September: from 19.3 mm to 21.3 mm in length and from 15.8 mm to 18.5 mm in width. Average germination rates in 2005 was 18.3% and 19.6% in 2006. The highest germination rate was 34.3% from seeds collected at the $30^{th}$ of September in 2005. In 2006, the highest germination rate was 31.7% for seeds collected at the same date as the 2005 seeds. After the end of September, germination rate was decreased in both years. The results implied that the best cone picking time for Korean C. japonica seeds is around the end of September.