Abstract
The study aimed to test various vigour tests to correlate them with seedling emergence in two field sowing dates and two different sowing depths in controlled room emergence of ten dill seed lots. Mean germination time, accelerated aging; for 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours, electrical conductivity readings at 16 hours and 24 hours, and EC readings after AA test were used as vigour tests, and results were correlated with seedling emergence percentages. Seedling emergence was tested in two sowing dates in the field and two different sowing depths in controlled room conditions. Controlled room seedling emergence values (80-95% in 2 cm, 76-92% in 4 cm) were higher than those of field emergence values (67-85% in the first sowing and 60-80% in the second sowing). Most of the vigour tests were significantly correlated with emergence potential. The highest correlation values were observed in EC16h and EC24h tests, significance between emergence and these two vigour tests were at P<0.001 three out of four sowings. The results indicated that EC16h can be a fast, practical and easy method of seed vigour discrimination in dill seed lots.
Highlights
High seedling establishment is essential for crop production to be profitable, and it is widely accepted as a critically important trait for farmers
The results indicated that EC of soaking water after 16 hours (EC16h) can be a fast, practical and easy method of seed vigour discrimination in dill seed lots
Seed lots differing in vigour can be identified in various vigour tests, such as accelerated aging (AA)
Summary
High seedling establishment is essential for crop production to be profitable, and it is widely accepted as a critically important trait for farmers. Seed vigour and poor performance under field environments influence the number of seedlings that emerge in crops, and the uniformity of emergence. For small-seeded vegetable crops, unpredictable timing of seedling emergence can disrupt planned schedules of production such as with dill, and insufficient and slow emergence can result in poor uniformity and yield (Finch-Savage 1995). Dill is a small seeded, leafy, short season vegetable crop species It is grown throughout the year in the Mediterranean region either open-field or under plastic tunnels. Sowing in various field environments reduces the emergence of dill seeds, and stand establishment may not always be successful (Ozden et al 2017). This is common, when an aged seed lot is used. Seed lots differing in vigour (emergence potential) can be identified in various vigour tests, such as accelerated aging (AA)
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