Abstract
Background:
Arbutus pavarii Pamp. is an endemic medicinal species that is confined to the Al-Jabal El-Akhdar region of northeastern Libya. Conservation of this threatened species requires an understanding of optimal seed storage conditions to maintain viability and germination capacity.

Aim:
This study investigated the effects of storage temperature (ambient vs. refrigerator) and storage duration (Fresh seed (control), 3, 6, 9, and 12 months) on seed germination percentage, shoot length, and root length of A. pavarii seeds over a 1-year period (December 2021 to December 2022).

Methods:
Seeds extracted from ripe fruits collected from their native habitat were stored under 2 temperature regimes and tested for germination at 5 intervals using a CRD with 3 replicates of 20 seeds each. Data were analyzed by two-way analysis of variance followed by Tokay's HSD test.

Results:
Storage temperature, storage duration, and their interaction each had a highly significant effect (P < 0.001) on all measured parameters; Table 1 shows the full ANOVA results (F, df, P) for each response variable are reported in Table 1. Cold storage significantly increased the mean germination percentage (96.53%) relative to ambient storage (47.10%) and likewise improved the mean shoot length (2.48 vs. 1.51 cm) and root length (0.91 vs. 0.26 cm). As a main effect, storage duration showed a non-linear pattern in germination percentage, rising from 85.00% in fresh seeds to a peak of 98.17% at 6 months, then declining to 46.03% and 50.00% at 9 and 12 months, respectively; shoot length followed a similar peak at 6 months, while root length increased progressively from fresh seeds to a peak at 9 months (0.82 cm), followed by a slight decline at 12 months (0.73 cm). The temperature × duration interaction showed that these overall duration effects were driven almost entirely by the ambient treatment: under cold storage, germination remained high and stable across all durations, reaching 100.00% at 12 months, whereas under ambient storage germination collapsed to 0.56% at 9 months and 0.00% at 12 months. A comparable pattern was observed for shoot length, which could not be measured under ambient storage beyond 6 months due to complete germination failure.

Conclusion:
These results indicate that refrigerated storage maintains high seed germination capacity and seedling vigor in A. pavarii for at least 12 months, the maximum duration tested, whereas ambient storage is only suitable for short-term use (up to approximately 6 months). The findings provide guidance for the ex situ conservation of this endemic species within the storage durations and conditions evaluated; extrapolation beyond twelve months require further study.

Key words: Cold storage; Endemic flora of Al-Jabal El-Akhdar; Ex situ conservation; Seed longevity; Seedling vigor; Threatened plant species.