EN
The experiment was conducted from 2008 to 2009. Its aim was to study the influence of stratification conditions on the germination of seeds of two sour cherry genotypes: local Polish variety Wróble and ‘Graniasta z Ujfehertoi’ from Hungary. The seeds used in the experiment were collected from trees grown at the Experimental Orchard of the Research Institute of Pomology and Floriculture in Dąbrowice near Skierniewice. Two stratification methods were compared: warm-cold stratification and cold stratification. In both stratification methods, the seeds were placed in different stratification media: 1 - sand, 2 - peat substrate, 3 - sand + peat substrate (1:2), 4 - sand + peat substrate (2:1). Regardless of the stratification conditions, the seeds of ‘Wróble’ germinated better than those of ‘Graniasta z Ujfehertoi’. The stratification media had a varied effect on seed germination. The best germination was obtained when seeds were placed in peat substrate, slightly worse results were obtained for the mixture of sand and peat substrate used at ratio of 1:2, and the lowest percentage of seed germination was recorded for the sand. The observations showed that seeds of sour cherry genotypes stratified by the warm-cold method germinated better than those stratified with the use of the cold stratification method.