CACTIBOTANY AND CULTIVATION
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Cacti / Cultivation procedures

Cultivation procedures

Sowing and documenting results

A shared framework for reproducing studies from the collection.

Cactus and succulent atlasIndex of former namesTables and diagramsCultivation proceduresRootstocks
GERMINATION • successive constraints on the process
  1. 01ImbibitionWater restores hydration to seed structures
  2. 02RespirationOxygen and reserves support metabolic changes in the embryo
  3. 03Growth activationTemperature and light modify the response
  4. 04Root emergenceThe embryonic root penetrates the seed coat
  5. 05Seedling establishmentLight, roots and gradual hardening sustain growth

A factor outside the tolerance range halts the process. Moisture alone cannot replace oxygen, a suitable temperature or a living embryo. [Barrios et al. 2020b] [Fleischer and Schütz 1978]

An independent physiological diagram based on the review by Barrios et al. from 2020 and archival material. It does not reproduce the earlier drawing of metabolic changes. [Barrios et al. 2020b] [Fleischer and Schütz 1978]

Sequence and conditions

  1. Record the current name, the name on the original label, field number, seed source, harvest and storage conditions. Do not combine all batches of the same species. [Flores Martínez et al. 2002, file p. 4, 5, 9, 10] [Flores Martínez and Manzanero Medina 2003, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b, file p. 44]
  2. Retain an untreated control when comparing soaking, heat, cold or scarification. Record the number of seeds and replicates. [Flores Martínez et al. 2002, file p. 4, 5, 9, 10] [Flores Martínez and Manzanero Medina 2003, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b, file p. 44]
  3. Distinguish germination, marked by radicle emergence, from seedling emergence and the number of living seedlings after pricking out. High germination does not mean successful plant production. [Flores Martínez et al. 2002, file p. 4, 5, 9, 10] [Flores Martínez and Manzanero Medina 2003, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b, file p. 44]
  4. Record day/night and substrate temperatures, lighting, humidity, watering and time to the event separately. [Flores Martínez et al. 2002, file p. 4, 5, 9, 10] [Flores Martínez and Manzanero Medina 2003, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b, file p. 44]
  5. When seeds are retained in the stem, do not automatically cut open a healthy plant. Materials on retention describe a biological mechanism, not a reliable harvesting technique. [Flores Martínez et al. 2002, file p. 4, 5, 9, 10] [Flores Martínez and Manzanero Medina 2003, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b, file p. 44]
  6. Vegetative propagation increases the number of specimens, but not the number of genotypes. Two offsets of the same plant may not suffice for outcrossed seed reproduction. [Flores Martínez et al. 2002, file p. 4, 5, 9, 10] [Flores Martínez and Manzanero Medina 2003, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b, file p. 44]

Scope of the method

Retention in the mother plant is not equivalent to storing dry seeds in a room.

Sources for the description

[Flores Martínez et al. 2002, file p. 4, 5, 9, 10] [Flores Martínez and Manzanero Medina 2003, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13] [Rodríguez Ortega and Franco 2001, file p. 2, 3, 4, 5] [Kaktusy i Inne 2005b, file p. 44]

Plants described in these materials

Mammillaria kraehenbuehliiMammillaria hernandeziiMammillaria huitzilopochtliMammillaria oteroi