ISHS Acta Horticulturae 533: VIII International Symposium on Timing Field Production in Vegetable Crops
INTEGRATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL SEED TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE STAND ESTABLISHMENT AND YIELD OF VEGETABLES |
| Authors: | C. Andreoli, Anwar A. Khan |
| Keywords: | emergence, beet, pepper, tomato, sweet corn |
| Abstract:
Poor stand establishment of vegetables is attributable to low seed vigor and high susceptibility to stressful biotic and abiotic soil environments. A popular approach for improving seed performance has been to subject the seeds to controlled hydration, which is achieved when seeds are held, for defined periods, in a liquid medium with osmostic properties (osmoconditioning), in contact with a solid matrix with high water retentive capillary forces (matriconditioning), or in a saturated water vapor environment (humidification). Hydrated seeds can be dried back without the loss of benefits derived from prehydration. Seed hydration treatments can be conveniently integrated with hormonal, pesticidal and biological treatments to combat the adverse effects of biotic and abiotic stresses on the emerging seedlings in the soil. Beneficial physical and biochemical changes in seeds that occur during controlled hydration include reduced electrolyte leakage, repair and reorganization of the membranes, and increases in the synthesis of macromolecules and activities of numerous enzymes. Among the benefits of the integrated controlled hydration treatments are improved seed vigor, synchronization of emergence, improvement of biomass production, increase tolerance to nonoptimal temperatures, prevention of dormancy induction, greater protection from diseases and insects, improved stand size and greater yield. Examples of benefits to vegetable seed industry will be drawn from studies with seeds of table beet (Beta vulgaris), tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), pepper (Capsicum annuum), lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and sweet corn (Zea mays) | |
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