Germination Capacity of Artemisia umbelliformis Lam. Wild Populations and Agro-techniques to Enhance Seedling Production

Artemisia umbelliformis Lam. is an alpine herbaceous species that grows in the wild and is mainly used for producing génépi liqueur. It has applications as an ingredient in several food products. Its propagation and cultivation have become the only way to ensure a sustainable supply, thus conserving its occurrence in natural habitats. However, low success rates in seed germination usually limit its propagation. Selected seeds and fine-tuned agro-techniques are priorities in nursery production systems. The current research explored seed germination in three wild A. umbelliformis populations from Valnontey, Soana, and Urtier in the Italian Alps. We evaluated seed germination ability as a description of final germination percentage (FGP), first germination time (FGT), halftime of germination (T50), germination period (GPD), and mean germination time (MGT). Also, assessments of early seedling development appeared valuable. We used three germination substrates with various peat and perlite ratios (v:v), i.e., S1 (100:0), S2 (80:20), and S3 (60:40), either in combination with or without two generalist arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), namely, Rhizophagus intraradices and Funneliformis mosseae. Results highlighted variations in germination capacity, indicating that the Valnontey population appeared superior to Soana and Urtier populations regarding FGP (34.0%, 7.2%, and 8.6%, respectively), FGT (8.7, 13.2, and 14.1 days, respectively), MGT (12.5, 16.5, and 17.1 days, respectively), and T50 (13.8, 17.4, and 16.8 days, respectively). Among the substrates, S3 allowed a higher average FGP value (22.9%) than the other substrates, i.e., in S1 and in S2. No AMF symbiosis occurred, suggesting room for future research into the pros and cons of applying bio-inoculants on génépi seeds and seedlings.