ISHS Acta Horticulturae 215: Seed Research in Horticulture
THE EFFECT OF PRIMING ON THE RATE AND UNIFORMITY OF GERMINATION OF ENDIVE SEED |
| Authors: | J. Bekendam, J.G. van Pijlen, H.L. Kraak |
| Abstract:
Under practical conditions, the percentage and rate and uniformity of emergence of endive seed appear sometimes unsatisfactory even for seed lots with a high germination capacity. The germination behaviour of 17 endive seed lots of different varieties was studied at various constant and alternating temperatures, both in light (8 hours per day) and in darkness. Light stimulated germination of all seed lots at constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C) and an alternating temperature of 20/30°C had a stimulating effect on germination in darkness of most seed lots. Four seed lots with a high percentage of germination in the standard germination test (carried out according to ISTA rules), which performed poorly in germination tests at 20°C in darkness, were selected for further studies. A presoak during 16 to 48 hours at 15°C in water greatly improved both percentage and rate of germination of these seed lots at 20°C in darkness. Presoaking in 2% KNO3 solution gave even better results. Red light treatment during presoaking (every 2 hours 15 minutes of red light) gave a further improvement. Periods of presoaking shorter than 16 h (4 or 8 h) had less effect. In some experiments, during prolonged periods (48 h or longer) of presoaking in water germination of seeds was observed. The effect of the pretreatments was retained when the seeds were redried to 6–8% moisture content after the presoak and for at least 8 months when seeds were stored at 20°C/32% RH. However, presoaked seeds deteriorated faster during storage at 20°C/75% RH than non-treated seeds. This was more evident for the longer presoaking periods (24 and 48 h) than for a presoaking period of 16 h. A presoak in 2% KNO3 for 16 h at 15°C with red light treatment during the presoak is recommended for the priming of endive seed. | |
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