Abstract
The influences on the growth progress and amount of seedlings from drying Quercus serrata seeds at sowing time were investigated. The period from sowing to epicotyl emergence was shortened by drying seeds for one day compared with not drying them, but it was prolonged by further drying. The seeds with longer periods from sowing to epicotyl emergence had shorter periods of epicotyl elongation and leaves expansion, but the entire period from sowing to full expansion of leaves depended largely upon the period from sowing to epicotyl emergence. The period from sowing to epicotyl emergence was not correlated with the desiccation ratios of the seeds. The two parameters, period from sowing to epicotyl emergence and seed desiccation ratio, seemed to act on the growth amount of seedlings separately through physiologically different processes. Judging from the occurrence data of seeds that did not show epicotyl emergence, it would become a tentative criterion to retain seed drying less than five days and seed desiccation ratio less than 10%, in order to reduce the minus effect of seed drying at sowing time
