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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Washington, D.C. » National Arboretum » Floral and Nursery Plants Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #433984
Title: Viburnum lantanoides (Adoxaceae): Leveraging epicotyl seed dormancy characterization to optimize seedling regeneration protocols

Author
item Rounsaville, Todd
item Bello, Nora
item Dieterich Mabin, Molly
item JOHNSON, EMILY - Orise Fellow

Submitted to: Plants
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/24/2026
Publication Date: 6/26/2026
Citation: Rounsaville, T.J., Bello, N.M., Dieterich Mabin, M.E., Johnson, E.K. 2026. Viburnum lantanoides (Adoxaceae): Leveraging epicotyl seed dormancy characterization to optimize seedling regeneration protocols. Plants. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15131985.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15131985

Interpretive Summary: The genus Viburnum includes 165 trees and shrubs that are widely used as ornamentals in the US nursery and landscape industry, with over $76M in annual domestic retail/wholesale sales. At the same time, U.S. species of Viburnum are being negatively impacted by the spread of the exotic pest known as Viburnum Leaf Beetle. Viburnum are widely regarded to be difficult to grow from seed, yet seed regeneration is imperative to support effective recovery from USDA genebanks in support of providing plant genetic resources to plant scientists and ornamental breeders. This study focused on the US native Viburnum lantanoides, an underutilized species with significant potential as an ornamental. We assessed seed dormancy breaking to understand the physiological barriers to germination, and found that a specific sequence of temperatures must be applied to successfully promote growth of embryos, induce root germination, and finally, break dormancy of the shoots. We then leveraged this information to optimize seedling regeneration, and develop a protocol that growers can apply to rapidly produce plant material from seed. These data serve as the first formal report of dormancy characterization for the species, and reduce regeneration times by approximately 25% (8 weeks) in comparison to previously published guidance.

Technical Abstract: Efficient seed-regeneration of woody plants is of practical importance for horticulture and conservation practitioners. Seeds of the genus Viburnum are known to be difficult to germinate, as mechanisms of morphophysiological dormancy breaking can vary significantly among species, necessitating unique treatments to promote embryo growth and overcome physiological domancy barriers. In this study, our objectives were to 1) to characterize class of seed dormancy for V. lantanoides, and 2) to optimize a protocol for seed-based regeneration for the species. Specifically, we evaluated warm and cold stratification treatments of increasing length and assessed effectiveness and timing of seed germination. We found V. lantanoides seeds exhibit deep simple epicotyl MPD, for which a sequence of warm-cold-warm temperatures are required to complete germination processes. We modeled time-to-emergence for radicles, cotyledons, and true leaves, and found that the combination of 12-weeks warm followed by 12-weeks cold stratification resulted in the fastest method of successful seedling regeneration. This study represents the first seed dormancy and regeneration study in Viburnum section Pseudotinus, and is intended to enhance physiological understanding of V. lantanoides seeds in support of conservation and horticultural efforts.