Scarification and germination of wild olive stones from Jabal Akhdar, Oman

Wild olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata (Wall. & G. Don) Cif.), a dominant tree of the mountains of Oman, may be vulnerable. Different scarification treatments were applied to stones collected from five wild olive trees at Jabal Akhdar, Oman. Germination was slow and poor: after 154 days in test, it ranged from nil to 11% in controls and from nil to 30% with scarification. The most effective scarification treatment to promote germination varied amongst trees, whilst scarification had little or no effect on stones from three trees. Further studies are required before propagation by seed can be used to support the conservation of wild olive in Oman.