In vitro germination and seedling development of caper (Capparis spinosa L.) mature seeds

Capparis spinosa L. (Capparidaceae) is a perennial tropical and subtropical shrub plant known worldwide. Despite the increasing demand and economic importance of capers, little information is available regarding the propagation of this shrub. In fact, it is usually propagated by seed, but its percentage of germination is very low. In this report, in vitro seed germination and seedling development of Capparis spinosa L. were studied and several treatments were evaluated to determine the ability of several factors to increase the percentage of germination. High variability was observed among the germination percentages of the different treatments (3-81%) due to their different efficiency to break dormancy. Scarification through seed coat rupture has been determinant to improve germination percentage. In vitro obtained seedlings were valuable to establish a micropropagation protocol for caper.