scholarly journals Ethephon Can Overcome Seed Dormancy and Improve Seed Germination in Purple Coneflower Species Echinacea angustifolia and E. pallida

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali O. Sari ◽  
Mario R. Morales ◽  
James E. Simon

Low and erratic seed germination presents a major production problem in the medicinal plants that collectively are called echinacea or purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia and E. pallida). In this study, nine seed lots of each E. pallida and E. angustifolia from a wide variety of commercial sources and germplasm collections were collected and treated with a solution of 1.0 mm [144.5 mg·L-1 (ppm)] ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphoric acid) to determine whether ethephon would sufficiently improve seed germination to be used by industry to improve the quality of echinacea seed. Applicationof ethephon increased seed germination in both E. pallida and E. angustifolia seed lots regardless of seed sources. The increase in germination by ethephon in eight seed lots of E. pallida and four seed lots in E. angustifolia were statistically significant compared to the nontreated control seeds. The increases in germination were also significant across seed lots for both species. Average germination increases across all seed lots were 1271 and 29% for E. pallida and E. angustifolia, respectively. Average germination of ethephon treated-untreated control seed lots was 76% to 27% and 79% to 62% for E. pallida and E. angustifolia, respectively.

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 504B-504
Author(s):  
Gladis M. Zinati ◽  
Herbert H. Bryan ◽  
Yuncong Li

Using herbs for medicinal purposes, ornamentals, and landscape plantings has increased significantly. Propagating from seeds is considered the most-efficient method of producing medicinal plants for commercial production. Among the herb seeds the purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) was found difficult to germinate. Laboratory studies were conducted to: 1) determine optimum temperature from a temperature range 15 to 30 °C for seed germination; 2) determine effects of 5 10, 20, and 30 days of stratification at 5 and 10 °C in darkness on germination; and 3) determine effects of priming in the dark for 1, 3, 6, and 9 days with 0.1 M KNO3 and biostimulants at optimum temperature to enhance early emergence and final germination. Germination was enhanced from 45% in untreated seeds to 81% in seeds treated with either 50 ppm GA4/7 or 100 ppm ethephon at 24 °C. Final germination was 81% under daylight conditions when seeds were stratified in dark at 10 °C for 30 days over nonstratified seeds (13%). Priming seeds in 0.1 M KNO3 for 3 days significantly enhanced early germination to 70% with 100 and 150 ppm ethephon and final percent germination of 88% with either 100 ppm ethephon or 150 ppm GA4/7, while untreated control seeds resulted in 31% for same period of priming.


HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 1443-1444 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Wartidiningsih ◽  
R.L. Geneve

Six seed lots of purple coneflower were purchased from four commercial seed sources and evaluated for germination in either light or darkness in combination with two temperature regimes (constant 27C vs. alternating 30C for 8 hours and 20C for 16 hours). Seed lot differences accounted for the majority of variation, with two seed lots exhibiting high (81% to 91%) germination and the remaining seed lots having 39% to 66% germination. There was no effect of light on germination, regardless of the seed lot. However, alternating temperatures improved germination in one of the low-germination seed lots. Seed size and inflorescence position did not affect seed germination. Seed harvested at physiological maturity (maximum seed dry weight), but before drying had occurred, had a higher germination percentage than seeds harvested after desiccation, and they maintained a higher germination percentage even after 1 year in storage.


HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 443D-443
Author(s):  
Keun Ho Cho ◽  
Chiwon W. Lee ◽  
Kyu-Min Lee

The narrow-leaved purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia) produces echinacin and related compounds in the root, which are known to have immune and curative properties against viral, fungal, and bacterial infections. In recent years, cultivation of this species has increased in response to growing market demand for natural medicinal remedies. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of gibberellic acid and light on the germination of E. angustifolia seeds. Seeds soaked for 24 h in 0, 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 250, 500 or 1000 mg/L GA3 solution were germinated on Whatman #1 filter paper inside petri dishes at 22 °C with or without light (80 μmol·m-2·s-1) for 21 days. The seeds germinated poorly in dark with the final percent germination range from 10% (GA3 1000 mg/L) to 36% (GA3 250 mg/L). Under light, seed germination showed a quadratic response (r = 0.84) to GA3 concentration. Percent germination exceeded 90% at 10, 50, and 100 mg/L GA3 with the mean time (T50) to germinate varying at 10.5, 11.7, and 13.3 days, respectively, under light. Seed germination under light was <10% when treated with 500 and 1000 mg/L GA3. In general, seed germination was best when treated with 10 or 50 mg/L GA3 under light. Results of this research may well be used in enhancing seed germination during field establishment of E. angustifolia.


Author(s):  
M. Ananthi ◽  
P. Selvaraju ◽  
K. Sundaralingam

Laboratory experiment was carried out using ‘PKM 1’ chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) seed to standardize bioprimed seeds under moisture stress condition inorder to improve seed germination and seedling vigour. To induce the moisture stress, optimize the different concentration of water holdings capacity viz., 80, 60, 40 and 20% were used for best bioprimed seed treatment (biocontrol agents (Pseudomonas fluorescens 60% 12 h, Trichoderma viride 60% 9 h) and liquid biofertilizers (Azospirillum 10% 9 h and Phosphobacteria 15% 9h )) along with hydroprimed seed and control seed. Seed bioprimed with Pseudomonas fluorescens 60% for 12 h improved the germination percentage ( 82), root length (14.2 cm), shoot length (6.2 cm), dry matter production (0.0489 g 10 seedlings-1) and vigour index (1673) compared to control seed. Seed biopriming with  Pseudomonas fluorescens 60% for 12 h can be adopted to improve seed germination and seedling vigour under moisture stress condition upto 20%.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 456f-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali O. Sari ◽  
Mario R. Morales ◽  
James E. Simon

Echinacea is a medicinal plant native to North America. It was used extensively by native Americans in the treatment of their ailments. It is presently one of the most popular medicinal plants in the United States. Its popularity has created a large market demand for the roots and foliage of the plant. The gathering of echinacea from the wild is leading to the reduction of native populations and the destruction of its genetic diversity. Cultivation of medicinal echinaceas is hindered by a low seed germination. Dormancy breaking studies were done on freshly harvested seeds of Echinacea angustifolia. Seed lots were placed under light at a constant temperature of 25 °C and at alternate temperatures of 25/15 °C for 14/10 h, respectively. Germination was more rapid and uniform and percent germination higher at 25 °C than at 25/15 °C. Seed tap-water soaking, dry heating, and sharp heating alteration did not increase germination. The application of 1.0 mM ethephon (2-chloroethylphosphoric acid) increased seed germination to 94% at 25 °C and 86% at 25/15 °C. Untreated seeds gave 65% germination at 25 °C and 11% at 25/15 °C. The application of 2500 mg·L–1 and 3500 mg·L–1 of GA to dry seeds and 2500 mg·L–1 to seeds that have been soaked under tap water and then dried increased germination to 82%, 83%, and 83% at 25 °C and 64%, 78%, and 64% at 25/15 °C, respectively.


Weed Science ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 176-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. W. Hauser ◽  
S. R. Cecil ◽  
C. C. Dowler

Systems of weed control composed of (a) herbicides only, (b) herbicides plus cultivation, or (c) cultivation only were devised. The most effective systems, involving herbicide sequences plus one “non-dirting” layby cultivation, controlled twelve troublesome species of weeds with acceptable yields of peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). On Greenville sandy clay loam, a particularly effective and economical system of weed control consisted of (a) N-butyl-N-ethyl-α,α,α-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-p-toluidine (benefin) used as a preplanting incorporated treatment, then (b) S-propyl dipropylthiocarbamate (vernolate) either incorporated into the soil before planting or injected at planting, and finally, (c) a layby cultivation 5 to 6 weeks after planting. A similarly effective system on Tifton loamy sand involved vernolate injected at planting, 2-sec-butyl-4,6-dinitrophenol (dinoseb) at “cracking”, and 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)butyric acid (2,4-DB) as a postemergence treatment followed by the layby cultivation. The “non-dirting” layby cultivation, averaged over both years and herbicide sequences, significantly increased yields of peanuts on both soil types. None of the systems of weed control caused consistent differences in market grade, average weight per seed, germination, or organoleptic quality of the peanuts.


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reyhaneh AZIMI ◽  
Hassan FEIZI ◽  
Mohammad KHAJEH HOSSEINI

The goal of this study was to evaluate concentrations of nanosized TiO2 at 0, 5, 20, 40, 60 and 80 mg L-1 with bulk TiO2 for possible stimulatory effects on wheatgrass seed germination and early growth stage. After 14 days of seed incubation, germination percentage improved by 9% following exposure to 5 ppm nanosized TiO2 treatment comparing to control. Similar positive effects occurred in terms of germination value and mean daily germination. Application of bulk TiO2 particles in 80 ppm concentration greatly decreased the majority of studied traits. Therefore phytotoxicity effect observed on wheatgrass seedling by application of bulk TiO2 particles in 80 ppm concentration. Exposure of wheatgrass seeds to 5 ppm nanosized TiO2 and bulk and nanosized TiO2 at 60 ppm obtained the lowest mean germination time but higher concentrations did not improve mean germination time. In general, there was a positive response by wheatgrass seed to some concentrations of nanosized TiO2. Usage of nanoparicles in order to improve germination and establishment of range plant in adverse environments similar to rangeland could be possible.


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