The effect of seed priming on the germination properties of Aruncus dioicus

Abstract

The effects of calcium chloride (CaCl2) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) seed priming on the germination properties of Aruncus dioicus (A. dioicus), an important wild vegetable obtained from forests in Korea, were investigated. The examined factors consisted of three priming concentrations and durations. Our results clearly showed that the germination properties of A. dioicus were affected by the priming conditions. Generally, seed priming with PEG resulted in a higher germination percentage, energy, rate, and time to achieve 50% germination (T50) compared to control and seed priming with CaCl2. Among the experimental conditions used for this study, pre-treatment with PEG at –1.03 MPa for 24 hours resulted in the highest germination percentage, which was 1.9 - fold higher than that of the control. Significantly higher germination energy and lower T50 values were also observed compared to those of the control. These results suggest that specific PEG priming conditions can be successfully used to improve the germination properties of A. dioicus.