EFFECT OF ELECTROSTATIC FIELD ON SOYBEAN SEED GERMINATION PARAMETARS

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of electrostatic fields on seed vigor, mean rate of germination and coefficient of velocity of germination of five soybean genotypes. Testing was conducted at the Novi Sad Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops on the seeds of five soybean varieties: Sava, NS 2024, NS 1347, NS 3127, and NS Blackstar. The seeds were exposed to different values of direct current (DC) of the following voltage: 0 V (control), 3 V, 6 V and 9 V, to which the seeds were exposed for 0 min (control), 1 min and 3 min. After exposing the seeds to the electric field, the vigour index (VI), mean rate of germination (MGR) and coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG). The results show that the effect of the electrostatic field on seed vigour, mean rate of germination and coefficient of velocity of germination depends on the genotype, voltage and exposure time. The application of DC can be a suitable method for improving vigour index (VI), mean rate of germination (MGR) and coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG). In addition, the results indicate that it is necessary to adjust the DC treatment (voltage and duration of exposure of seeds) to a particular genotype, since inadequate treatments may deteriorate the quality of seeds. Keywords: electrostatic field, vigor index, MGR, CVG, soybean

Germination and morphological responses of Triticum aestivum L. to different concentrations of fluoride

A laboratory experiment was conducted on germination papers to study the effect of fluoride (F) at 0 (T1), 50 (T2), 100 (T3), 200 (T4), 250 (T5) and 300 (T6) ppm on germination and morphological parameters in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) variety, HUW-234 at 2, 4 and 6 days after initiation of germination process. Fluoride toxicity caused reduction in germination per cent, germination index, coefficient of velocity of germination and germination energy (%) while mean germination time increased with fluoride concentration. Root and shoot lengths and dry matters decreased with increased concentrations of fluoride. Ratio of root: shoot weight increased with increased concentration of fluoride. Elongation of seminal roots was adversely affected by increased fluoride level. Increased fluoride level in the germination medium decreased RGR of seedlings progressively. Present study revealed that enhanced fluoride concentration in germination medium caused reduction in germination and germination related parameters.

Biostimulant Effects of Cerium on Seed Germination and Initial Growth of Tomato Seedlings

The rare earth element (REE) cerium (Ce) can act as a biostimulant in diverse crop plants. The effects of 0, 5, 10, and 15 µM Ce (supplied as CeCl3 7H2O) on seed germination and the initial growth of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. Vengador were evaluated. After a 12 h imbibition, the weight of the seeds treated with 15 µM Ce was 37.5% greater than that observed in the control. The germination index of the seeds treated with 5 µM Ce was greater than 100% (101.93%), though when applying 10 µM Ce this index was 17.53% lower than the control seeds. Nevertheless, Ce treatments did not significantly affect the coefficient of velocity of germination, relative seed germination, germination index, radicle length, dry biomass, or relative growth. Interestingly, shoot length increased significantly in the treatments with 5, 10, and 15 µM Ce. This tendency was also observed in the dry biomass weight and relative growth of the shoots. Hence, Ce has a stimulating effect on germination and initial growth in tomato cv. Vengador shoots. In particular, there was a priming effect of Ce on seeds, reflected in a higher weight gain in Ce-treated seeds, which indicated greater water absorption. Therefore, Ce can be an alternative to accelerate the production time of tomato seedlings in seedbeds.

Biopriming with Seaweed Extract and Microbial-Based Commercial Biostimulants Influences Seed Germination of Five Abelmoschus esculentus Genotypes

Seed germination is a crucial step in plant propagation, as it controls seedling production, stand establishment and ultimately crop yield. Approaches that can promote seed germination of valuable crops remain of great interest globally. The current study evaluated the effect of biostimulant (Kelpak® and plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria—PGPR) biopriming on the seed germination of five (VI037996, VI046567, VI055421, VI050956, and VI033796) Abelmoschus esculentus genotypes. The germination responses of the bio-primed seeds were measured using six parameters, including final germination percentage (FGP), mean germination time (MGT), germination index (GI), coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG), germination rate index (GRI), and time spread of germination (TSG). Biostimulant application significantly affected MGT (1.1–2.2 days), CVG (1.4–5.9), and TSG (1.2–3.0 days). Genotype also significantly influenced the TSG (1–3 days). Significant interaction effect of biostimulant treatment and genotype was evident on the FGP, GI, and GRI of the germinated seeds. The most noteworthy effect was demonstrated by Kelpak® (1:100) applied to genotype VI037996, with significantly improved FGP (82%), GI (238), and GRI (77%/day) when compared to the control. Overall, the current findings suggest the potential stimulatory effect of biostimulants (especially Kelpak®) on the germination of Abelmoschus esculentus seeds. However, this influence was strongly dependent on the type of genotype.

Seed Viability, Seedling Growth and Yield in White Guinea Yam

The yam is an economic tuber crop utilized for food, feed, and various industrial applications. Botanical seed viability, seedling growth, and development are among factors that influence plant population dynamics, development, structure, and sustainability. However, little is known about seed viability, growth, and yield potential of seed-progenies developed using different mating designs. This study assessed seed germination, seedling growth, and yield traits in seed-progenies developed using North Carolina I (NC-1) and polycross mating designs. For this, seed germination and seedling nursery trials established using seed-progenies from different yam crosses were used. Results revealed that days to first seed germination (DAYFG), days to 50% germination (DAYSG), coefficient of velocity of germination, seed emergence speed (SES), germination index, final germination percent, and seedling vigor index significantly (p < 0.05) varied within and among NC-1 and PC-derived families. The mean days to first seed germination (DFSG) and DAYSG seed-progenies of NC-1 were significantly lower than the polycross progenies. Moreover, the seedling-progenies from the polycross produced a higher number of stems and more elongate tubers than those originated from the NC-1 mating. Progenies of family TDr1687 from a polycross mating were among the families that had the highest stem number (2.2), longest tuber (7.5 cm), and widest tuber (2.8 cm). The inter-family means of both NC-1 and polycross had a non-significant variation for mean tuber weight per plant. Our results suggest the relevance of seed germination and seedling attributes for selection of superior progenies at the early generation stage trials in yam breeding.

Effect of seed treatments and potting medium on seed germination parameters in threatened Stereospermum suaveolens (Roxb.) DC. – A dashmool species

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different seed treatment and potting media on germination percentage and associate parameters in Stereospermum suaveolens, a threatened dashmool species during May, 2019 at Silviculture Nursery of Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh). Experimental treatments comprised of twenty treatment combinations consisting of four different seed treatment and five growth mediums. Data on daily seed germination was recorded and used for estimation of final germination percentage (FGP), mean germination time (MGT), coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG), germination rate index (GRI), time spread of germination (TSG), energy period (EP) and peak value of mean germination (PVMG). Critical perusal of analysis revealed that treatment combination ‘Sand + Hot Water’ was resulted in positive effect on all the characters studied and could be used for mass raising of seedlings of S. suaveolens.

The Effect of Priming on Germination Characteristics of Barley Seeds under Drought Stress Conditions

Seed priming methods have been used to increase germination and seedling establishment under different abiotic stress conditions. Seed priming was used in barley to increase seed germination and tolerance on stress exposure. Barley seeds were treated with various priming agents for different time and temperatures. The effect of priming was assessed on germination characteristics on subsequent exposure to drought (PEG-12 bar) stress for 7 days. Seed priming treatments significantly (p≤ 0.01) affected germination percentage (GP), normality seedling percentage (NSP), germination Index (GI), germination uniformity (GU), means time to germination (MTG), coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG), seedling vigor index (SVI) and coefficient of allometry (AC). Seed priming with gibberelic acid (GA), salicylic acid (SA), ascorbic acid (ASc), hydropriming (HP), osmopriming (OP) and combined treatments (CT) significantly (p≤ 0.01) increased germination characteristics, compared to the unprimed. Seed priming with concentrations 25, 50 ppm of GA for 15 h at 10°C, 25 ppm of SA for 12 h at 10°C, 50 ppm of ASc for 12 h at 15°C, treatment 16 h hydropriming at 10°C and -15 bar PEG for 24 h for osmopriming may be considered as optimal treatment for priming of barley seeds in drought stress conditions. In some cases, combined treatments are better than the separate treatments. Seed priming with PEG (potential -l5 bar PEG for 24 h at 10°C) was more effective in drought stress than the other treatments.

Effects of pre-sowing treatments with allelopathic plant extracts on tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.) seedling emergence and performance

Seeds of the tree tomato (Solanum betaceum Cav.) were treated with allelopathic plant extracts: ferula gum (FER, 0.2 g gum L-1, 25°C, 24 h), lantana petal extract (LAN, 4 g dried petal L-1, 25°C, 24 h) and marigold petal extract (TAG, 4 g dried petal L-1, 25°C, 24 h) along with an untreated control to determine the effect of these extracts on seedling emergence and performance. The pre-sowing influence of the allelopathic extracts (FER, LAN and TAG) on the emergence percentage (%), mean emergence time (days), emergence index, coefficient of velocity of emergence (%), seedling length (cm), seedling fresh weight (mg), seedling dry weight (mg), and stimulatory allelopathic index (%) was investigated in tree tomato seeds. The results revealed that pre-sowing treatment with the studied allelopathic plant extracts showed higher seedling emergence and performance. The greatest advantage of the pre-sowing treatment was observed in the TAG treatment. Allelopathic TAG treatment resulted in 15% higher seedling emergence rates, 3.3 d faster mean emergence time, 153 mg heavier seedling weights, and higher emergence index compared to untreated seeds. In addition, the effect of allelopathic FER and LAN treatments was better than the control.

SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING ESTABLISHMENT OF CHERIMOYA (ANNONA CHERIMOLA MILL.) AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

Cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) has an exceptional flavor and aroma, which makes it a fruit with great potential. However, little is known about its propagation by seeds. According to the scientific literature, the germination of cherimoya seeds is affected much more by external conditions than by internal conditions. Germination of cherimoya variety ‘Concha Lisa’ were tested for germination at constant temperatures of 25, 30, 40°C, and at room temperature, varying from 20-25°C, coupled with total darkness. Seeds were sown in Petri dishes (0.8% agar water), for 25 days of incubation. The kinetics of germination was determined according to five closely related parameters, viz. final germination percentage (FGP), mean germination time (MGT), coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG), time to 50% germination (T50) and seedling length (SL). The temperature of 30°C was found optimally suitable with 70.8% FGP, 17.5 days MGT and 3.91 cm SL, while the room temperature of 20-25°C slightly improved germination with only 25% FGP. Furthermore, significant decrease in FGP and SL was observed at 25°C and 40°C of temperature in comparison to 30°C. The analysis also revealed that cherimoya seed germination, day 10-15 after seed sowing is suitable for final counts. An overview on the emergence of cherimoya seedlings, during a 12-week period in pots is presented.

An Assessment of the Effect of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles Using Sage Leaves (Salvia officinalis L.) on Germinated Plants of Maize (Zea mays L.)

AgNPs have attracted considerable attention in many applications including industrial use, and their antibacterial properties have been widely investigated. Due to the green synthesis process employed, the nanoparticle surface can be coated with molecules with biologically important characteristics. It has been reported that increased use of nanoparticles elevates the risk of their release into the environment. However, little is known about the behaviour of AgNPs in the eco-environment. In this study, the effect of green synthesized AgNPs on germinated plants of maize was examined. The effects on germination, basic growth and physiological parameters of the plants were monitored. Moreover, the effect of AgNPs was compared with that of Ag(I) ions in the form of AgNO3 solution. It was found that the growth inhibition of the above-ground parts of plants was about 40%, and AgNPs exhibited a significant effect on photosynthetic pigments. Significant differences in the following parameters were observed: weights of the caryopses and fresh weight (FW) of primary roots after 96 h of exposure to Ag(I) ions and AgNPs compared to the control and between Ag compounds. In addition, the coefficient of velocity of germination (CVG) between the control and the AgNPs varied and that between the Ag(I) ions and AgNPs was also different. Phytotoxicity was proved in the following sequence: control < AgNPs < Ag(I) ions.