A mating design,including full-sib and half-sib Catalpa bungei was conducted.The germination ability was studied.The temperature,soaking and lighting time and pretreatment that could influence on Catalpa bungei seed germination were studied.The result showed that the difference of germination rate and energy among different mating combinations was extremely significant.The influence of the individual plant to the germination rate was lower than that of different variety.The germination rate of the combination C.bungei and C.fargesii was always low.The germination rate and energy of two set of reciprocal crosses were very similar.The germination rate was the highest for soaking the seed for 24 hours at a constant temperature of 25 ℃ then germinating it at a changing temperature 20-30 ℃,the difference was remarkable.Another result,an 8-hour-long lighting daily was more advantaged for the germination of the seed than that in a completely dark condition;the germinating rate of the seed stored at a temperature of 5 ℃ for a week after soaking is also much higher than that stored at a low temperature.
