Germination Count Research Articles

Rock n' Seeds: A database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation.

Advancing functional ecology depends fundamentally on the availability of data on reproductive traits, including those from tropical plants, which have been historically underrepresented in global trait databases. Although some valuable databases have been created recently, they are mainly restricted to temperate areas and vegetative traits such as leaf and wood traits. Here, we present Rock n' Seeds, a database of seed functional traits and germination experiments from Brazilian rock outcrop vegetation, recognized as outstanding centers of diversity and endemism. Data were compiled through a systematic literature search, resulting in 103 publications from which seed functional traits were extracted. The database includes information on 16 functional traits for 383 taxa from 148 genera, 50 families, and 25 orders. These 16 traits include two dispersal, six production, four morphological, two biophysical, and two germination traits-the major axes of the seed ecological spectrum. The database also provides raw data for 48 germination experiments, for a total of 10,187 records for 281 taxa. Germination experiments in the database assessed the effect of a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors on germination and different dormancy-breaking treatments. Notably, 8255 of these records include daily germination counts. This input will facilitate synthesizing germination data and using this database for a myriad of ecological questions. Given the variety of seed traits and the extensive germination information made available by this database, we expect it to be a valuable resource advancing comparative functional ecology and guiding seed-based restoration and biodiversity conservation in tropical megadiverse ecosystems. There are no copyright restrictions on the data; please cite this paper when using the current data in publications; also the authors would appreciate notification of how the data are used in publications.

Aplicação foliar de cálcio e boro na produção e qualidade de sementes de pimentão

ABSTRACT Calcium and boron are important nutrients in pollen grain formation and seed production. As they are little mobile in plants, it is common to be supplied via foliar application. The objective of this research was to evaluate the production and quality of sweet pepper seeds with calcium and boron application directed to flowers and fruits. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, with seven replications. Four treatments were evaluated: isolated calcium (0.2%) application, isolated boron (0.1%) application, combined application of calcium (0.2%) and boron (0.1%), and the control without calcium and without boron. The characteristics evaluated were number of pollen grains, number of seeds per fruit; 1000 seed weight; physiological quality of seeds (germination, first germination count, and germination speed index) and protein (albumin, globulin, prolamine and glutelin) contents in seeds. Both the application of calcium and boron did not affect the physiological quality of the seeds. Boron application reduced seed production and the 1000 seed weight, while calcium application increased the number of pollen grains, seed production and seed albumin content, and, therefore, the application of calcium in the production of sweet pepper seeds is recommended.

Extreme variability modelling of overdispersed germination count experiments

Extreme variability modelling of overdispersed germination count experiments

BIOCIDAL-EFFICACY OF GORGONEIA LATIFOLIUM, MYRISTICA FRAGANS AND ALPRON- PLUS ON SEED HEALTH, GERMINATION PERCENTAGE, SEEDLING VIGOUR OF SWEET MELON (CUCUMIS MELO L.) SEEDS AND ASSOCIATED FUNGI ORGANISMS

Laboratory experiment was conducted to test the effects of bio-medicinal plants (Gongronema latifolium (Utazi) leaves and Myristica fragans (Nutmeg) seeds) and synthetic fungicide (Alpron- Plus) on seed health, germination percentage and seedling vigour of sweet melon seeds. The experiment was conducted at the Crop Science and Horticulture Laboratory, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Anambra State. Bio-medicinal plants were used as crude powdery seed dressers as well as synthetic fungicide. The experiment was laid out in a simple completely randomized design (CRD) with ten replications which consisted of blotter paper germination/ seed health tests of sweet melon seeds and seedling vigour and seedling vigour index tests using soil medium. Ten petri dishes and ten polybags were used respectively for each of the plant extracts and synthetic fungicides simultaneously for both blotter paper and soil medium tests. Twenty seeds which were independently dressed with various plant extracts and synthetic fungicide were plated into one 9cm Petri dish containing three layers of blotter paper in circular form. For soil medium method, ten polybags with few small perforations underneath filled with sterilized top soil were used for each fungicide. The Petri dishes containing the plated seeds were incubated on the Laboratory benches for eight days while seedlings in polybags were kept in the screenhouse and observations were taken and recorded daily for germination count, fungal growth then germination index and seedling vigour index which were derived later with appropriate formulae and their values being expressed in percentages. The results of this investigation revealed that bio-medicinal plant crude extracts had significant effect on germination percentage and germination index of Sweet- melon seeds. Gongronema latifolium crude extract had the highest germination index. The synthetic fungicide was effective in protecting the seeds of sweet melon though had low germination percentage. Nutmeg was not effective when used in crude powdery form as dressers as it had the lowest germination percentage and the highest infestation percentage. It could therefore be recommended that the plant extracts tested in this experiment should not be used as powdery seed dressers but as essential oil using appropriate extracting solvents in order for the bioactive ingredients to act effectively in preventing micro-organisms that hinder germination of sweet melon seeds.

Seed Germination of Scabiosa stellata (Caprifoliaceae), a Potential Medicinal Plant

Summary Increasing seed germination of native medicinal plant species is fundamental to improving conservation and restoration practices, especially for threatened ecosystems. However, the seeds of some species exhibit poor germination, limiting propagation and large-scale distribution. In this study, the effect of temperature on seed germination of a medicinal plant Scabiosa stellata was investigated in vitro. Germination of S. stellata was tested at constant temperatures of 10, 20, 25, 30 and 40 °C, coupled with total darkness. The seeds enclosed by achenes were cultured in Petri dishes (0.8% agar water) with 7 replicates of 10 seeds, for 15 days of incubation. The germination kinetics were determined according to the final germination percentage (FGP), the mean germination time (MGT), the seedling survival percentage (SS) and the seedling total length (STL). Temperatures had a significant effect (p< 0.001) on all parameters studied. Germination kinetics indicated that S. stellata seeds were non-dormant. The average seed germination percentage relative to temperatures ranged from 31.4% (30 °C) to 94.2% (25 °C). The temperature of 25 °C was found to be very suitable with 94.2% FGP, 5.37 days of MGT and 7.82 cm of STL, while the temperature of 20 °C optimally improved germination with 58.5% of FGP. In addition, a significant 62.8% reduction in FGP was observed at 30 °C temperature compared to 25 °C. No germination was observed at 10 °C and 40 °C over a period of 15 days. Analysis also revealed that a period of 10 days after sowing seeds is suitable for final germination counts in S. stellata seeds. An overview of the establishment of S. stellata seedlings over a 30-day period in pots is also presented. Germination of seeds of S. stellata is epigeal type.

Eucalyptus citriodora, E. phaeotricha and E. propinqua seeds subjected to classification by sieves

Seeds’ qualities are influenced by several factors such as the density and size of seeds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical and physiological quality of Corymbia citriodora, E. phaeotricha and E. propinqua seeds that were subjected to classification by sieve. The seeds passed through sieves that retained the following sizes: C. citriodora (2.00; 1.68; 1.41; 1.19; 1.00 mm), E. phaeotricha (1.41; 1.19; 1.00; 0.84 mm) and E. propinqua (1.00; 0.84; 0.71; 0.59 e 0.50 mm). The tests of retention percentage, physical purity, germination, first count of germination, germination speed index and average germination time were performed. The design used was randomized with four replications and five treatments for C. citriodora and E. propinqua, and four treatments for E. phaeotricha, due to the number of sieves that retained seeds. The data were submitted to analysis of variance by the F test. When significant, the statistics related to the classification of seeds by sieves were compared using the Tukey test with 5% probability. The use of sieve classification is effective for the separation of seeds with high physical and physiological quality. C. citriodora with a seed size of 1.41 to 2.00 mm have maximum physical and physiological quality and can be pelleted. For E. phaeotricha and E. propinqua, seeds with a size of 1.19 to 1.41 mm and 0.84 to 1.00 mm, respectively, have the highest physical and physiological quality.

Quality of sunflower seeds in function of thickness classification and sowing under speed variation of the seeder-fertilizer

The objective was to evaluate the quality of sunflower seeds classified according to their thickness and passed through the seeder-fertilizer dosing system under variation of the travel speed. A lot of M734 was classified by thickness passing the seeds through a set of oblong-hole sieves and two thicknesses were selected. A portion of the seeds with only the commercial classification was also reserved, named as non-classified. The biometric evaluation was done and the sowing was carried out at 5.0, 6.5, 8.0, 9.5 and 11.0 km h-1. The quality of the seeds was evaluated through: germination and first germination count, average time and percentage of emergence in sand, accelerated aging and tetrazolium test. The classification by thickness reduce the coefficient of variation of the length, width, thickness, and mass but seeds classification does not affect seed vigor and viability after sowing under speed variation. In the higher studied speed, the passage of seeds through the dosing mechanism reduces germination. The vigor is affected at 6.5 km h-1 speed by the accelerated aging test. According to the emergence in sand and tetrazolium test, speed variation does not affect the vigor and viability of sunflower seeds.

A simple and efficient method for onion pollen preservation: Germination, dehydration, storage conditions, and seed production

The preservation of viable pollen is essential to overcome the problems related to the asynchronous flowering of the parental lines in onion hybrid breeding programs. The aim of this study was to establish a simple, inexpensive, and easily reproducible protocol for medium-term onion pollen storage. First, the conditions for assessing the in vitro pollen germination were optimized. The liquid medium favored the counting of germination of pollen grains in comparison to the solid medium. The addition of 75 mg/l Ca(NO3)2. 4H2O to the medium did not improve pollen germination, while that of 150 mg/l Ca(NO3)2. 4H2O inhibited pollen germination. The highest germination percentage was achieved by incubation at 30–35 °C in the dark. Second, fresh or dehydrated pollen (maintained in a desiccator with silica gel at 25 °C for 18 h) was stored at 4, –20, and –80 °C for two years to study pollen preservation. In addition, the viability and germination capacity of stored pollen were periodically evaluated at 0, 15 and 30 days; 2 and 6 months; and 1 and 2 years. Pollen viability was best retained at low relative humidity and temperatures below zero. Dehydration was essential for pollen preservation at –20 and –80 °C. The results showed that dehydrated pollen stored at –20 °C could be used, with guarantees, for pollination throughout the flowering season. However, the highest viability and in vitro germination percentages after two years of storage (29 and 32%, respectively) were achieved with dehydrated pollen stored at –80 °C. Finally, the capacity of stored pollen to produce seeds was confirmed in crosses with male sterile lines. In this way, dehydrated pollen stored at –80 °C for two years produced an average of 47.9 seeds/100 flowers, representing 43% of the seed in the control crosses. This is the first report in onion research of seed production after pollination with preserved pollen at –80 °C for two years.

Methods of selection of soybean genotypes for tolerance to rain on pre-harvest

Soybean production chain is facing serious challenges for high quality seed and grain production. This paper proposes a simple method to select genotypes with tolerance to excess moisture. The study was divided into three stages. Stage I consisted in plant production and standardization of maturity for 25 seeding genotypes in Passo Fundo-RS during 2013-2014 growing season 500 plants were harvested from each genotype at R7-R8 stage. Stage II was composed by rainfall and temperature simulation assays which were carried out in greenhouse facility of Cambé-PR. Stage III consisted of physiological seed quality determination. Samples were evaluated for 1000-seeds weight, germination, first count of germination, accelerated aging and shoot and root dry matter. Simulation of rain for three days during preharvest period resulted in reduced seed viability and vigor in genotypes DMARIO59i, A4725RG, NS4823 and FPS URANO RR indicating consideration of the harvesting time close to R8 stage for high quality seed production in these genotypes.

Armazenamento de sementes de grão de bico em diferentes embalagens, ambientes e períodos

ABSTRACT Storage is a fundamental practice in the control of the physiological quality of seeds, as it is a method that can preserve their viability and vigor for a longer period. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the storage of chickpea seeds in different packagings, environments, and periods. The completely randomized design was used in a 2 × 2 × 4 factorial scheme, corresponding to two types of packaging (hermetic and Kraft® paper), two storage environments (cold chamber environment and conventional environment), and four storage periods (0, 45, 90, and 135 days), with four replicates. The seeds were placed in Kraft® paper bags and hermetic packagings and stored for 135 days in the environments: cold chamber (14.5 °C and relative air humidity of 65%) and conventional environment (no temperature and relative air humidity control). Every 45 days, seeds were subjected to the following evaluations: determination of water content, germination, first germination count and accelerated aging. In general, the maintenance of the physiological quality of chickpea seeds was verified in Kraft® paper packagings and the cold chamber environment. Storage of chickpea seeds in hermetic packaging must be carried out with seeds with 7% moisture, regardless of the storage environment. The packagings maintained the physiological quality of chickpea seeds for up to 45 days, regardless of the storage environment.

Design and Development of Cold Storage System for Community- based Small-size Seed Banks for Farmers

Background: Seed preservation in the context of changing climatic conditions and retaining quality is a big challenge, especially for marginal farmers who does not have appropriate seed storage facilities. Moisture and temperature variations (both seasonal and diurnal) during storage result in moulds, bacteria, insects, mites and rodents attacks. Tropical regions with higher ambient temperatures and relative humidity variations need to address the storage issue. Methods: This research work discusses the process of design, fabrication and testing of a low-cost seed storage unit (SSU) for community-based seed banks. The SSU of 200 L storage capacity was cooled using a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) to provide the temperature range of 15°C to 18°C and relative humidity less than 70% inside the SSU. The SSU was field-tested at fourteen different agro-climatic locations for seeds of paddy (Oryza sativa), gram (Cicer arietinum), onion (Allium cepa), groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and maize (Zea mays) during the period 18 months between 2017 to 2019. These seeds were tested for germination count (GC) and moisture content (MC). Result: Results obtained indicated that the SSU developed can retain essential seed quality parameters i.e. more than 80% germination count (GC), except for groundnut seeds over a period of 18 months as against loss of seed viability in 8 months’ time in traditional storage at ambient temperature. Based on the field performance testing, we recommend the use of such devices for farmers’ and farmers’ producer companies for a decentralised seed storage capacity of 100 to 200 kg.

Cutting management of dual purpose wheat and implications on seed quality

The nutritive value of a dual purpose forage, its structural and morphological composition, seed production capacity are determining characteristics in the selection of a genotype. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of cutting management on yield components, physiological quality of the seeds in the subsequent generation. Experiment I: the field cutting management was performed, and the yield components and the physiological quality of the seeds were evaluated. Experiment II: where the components of plant yield and physiological quality of the seeds were evaluated. The cutting managements affect the components of yield, such as thousand seed weight and seed mass per cob, as well as germination, first germination count and seedling dry mass of dual purpose wheat. In the generation that evaluates the quality of the seeds produced, the cuts do not influence the physiological quality of the seeds, however, they affect the yield components, number of cobs per plant, one thousand seed weight and seed mass per cob.

Physical and fruit region characterization of araticum and seed germination as a result of accesses

The physical characteristics of the fruits are of great importance for the identification and selection of superior genetic materials, appropriate for commercialization or industrial use. Given the above, the objective was to physically characterize the araticum fruit and to verify the influence of accessions and fruit region under seed germination. The work was developed at Unioeste, Marechal Cândido Rondon Campus (PR), and conducted at the University Laboratory of Post-Harvest Technology. Ripe fruits of araticum (Annona sylvatica) were collected from four native plants (accessions A1, A 2, A3, and A4) at the Experimental Farm of the University in February 2019. As for the physical evaluation of the fruits, four repetitions of 10 randomly chosen ripe fruits per access were evaluated. The longitudinal diameter, transversal diameter, fruit biomass, epicarp biomass, fruit pulp, number of seeds, and mass of 100 seeds were the characteristics evaluated. The experimental design used for the germination test was completely randomized, in a factorial scheme 4 x 2 [4 accessions (A1, A2, A3, and A4) x 2 regions of the fruit (proximal and distal) in 500 mg L-1 of acid gibberellic (GA3)], containing 4 repetitions and 25 seeds per repetition. The evaluations were carried out from the 15th day of the experiment setup until 105 days. The characteristics evaluated were: first germination count (%), germination percentage (%), germination speed index, and average germination time (days). The fruits had an average biomass of 63.41 g, an average of 38 seeds per fruit, and fruit pulp with an average of 39.63 g. The germination of araticum seeds was not influenced by the accessions and fruit region.

Induced variations of ethyl methane sulfonate mutagenized cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. walp) plants.

Unique variants are desired in the development of genetically improved crops to meet farmer and market needs hence ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) was used to induce genetic variability in cowpea (Vigna unguiculata cv. Asontem). The main objective of this research was to characterize induced variations in EMS chemically mutagenized population of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp Var. Asontem) in the M1 and M2 generations. The optimum concentration (LD50) of EMS for generating the mutagenized population was determined by treating seeds with different concentrations of EMS (0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8% v/v) and observing the germination count after 5 days of planting the seeds in Petri dishes. Three thousand cowpea seeds were treated with the 0.4% EMS to generate the M1 and M2 populations that were evaluated for agronomic and morphological traits with untreated seeds serving as control. Data analysis involved distribution of qualitative and quantitative traits. Germination was significantly reduced in the mutagenized population (17.8%) and compared with that of the wild type (61.6%). Percentage survival was significantly higher in wild type (98.38%) as compared with the M1 population (78.46%). Percentage germination in the M2 population (74.03%) was lower than the wild type (80%). A wide spectrum of agro-morphological abnormalities was observed in the M2 population. Wide variations and uniquely different phenotypic classes were observed in leaf color, leaf shape, growth habit, plant pigmentation, twining tendency, pod curvature, seed shape, and seed coat color. M2 individuals were widely distributed for days to flowering, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, number of locules per pods, percentage seed set, pod length and number of seeds per plant. In conclusion, the EMS mutagenesis was effective in inducing the unique variations that will be useful for breeding and development of new farmer preferred varieties.

Physiological and enzymatic monitoring of treated seeds of cultivars soybean during storage

The objective was to analyze the influence of industrial soybean seed treatments on physiological quality throughout the storage and to evaluate the worth of the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme as a marker for quality monitoring. The statistical design used was completely randomized in a 2 × 5 × 5 factorial schemes involving two cultivars, five phytosanitary treatments, and five evaluation periods during storage. Before treatment, the lignin content of the seed coat of the cultivars was analyzed. The physiological quality was evaluated by the first count of germination and the germination, and the ADH enzyme was also quantified. The deterioration of soybean seeds during storage was directly linked to the type of molecule and the viscosity of the spray solution used in the treatment of seeds. The treatment of soybean seeds with predominantly aqueous solution and the use of systemic insecticidal molecules, combined with fungicides and polymers, impaired the germination of the stored seeds, and the deleterious effects became greater over time. ADH has potential as a marker of the physiological quality of treated and stored soybean seeds.

Seed Vigour Test: An Overview

Seed vigour is "the sum total of those properties of the seed which determine the level of activity and performance of the seed or seed lot during germination and seedling emergence". Seed vigour is an important quality parameter which needs to be assessed to supplement germination and viability tests to gain insight into the performance of a seed lot in the field or in storage. Seed vigor can be measured by a variety of methods including accelerated aging (AA), electrical conductivity (EC), seed vigour imaging system (SVIS), cold test, speed of germination (SG) count. Seed vigour is an important component of seed quality and satisfactory levels are necessary in addition to traditional quality criteria of moisture, purity, germination and seed health to obtain optimum plant stand and high production of crops.

The Impact of Seeding Density and Nitrogen Rates on Forage Yield and Quality of Avena sativa L.

Green forage is an excellent feed source for livestock. It is an integral part of livestock production to accomplish the demands for butter, milk, and other derivatives for human utilization. Livestock contributes 11.39% towards the gross domestic product of Pakistan and 58.33% in agricultural farming. Livestock face shortage or insufficient supply of green fodder during the winter season, which ultimately reduces milk yield. Oat (Avena sativa L.) is a major forage crop in the winter season; however, several biotic and abiotic factors negatively affect its yields. Low soil fertility, particularly nitrogen deficiency, is regarded as one of the few reasons responsible for the low forage yield of oat. Low organic matter content in the soil, suboptimal agronomic practices, and harsh climatic conditions are the other major reasons for low oat yield. Seed rate and different nitrogen rates significantly alter green forage yield and quality of oat. This study assessed the impact of different seeding densities and nitrogen (N) doses on the forage yield of oat. Three seeding densities (70, 80, and 90 kg ha−1) and five N doses (0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg ha−1) were included in the study. The interactive effect of seeding density and N doses significantly altered green forage yield and quality attributes of oat. The highest green forage yield (54.67 t ha−1) was noted for the interaction among 90 kg seed rate ha−1 and 160 kg N ha−1. Similarly, the highest germination count (140 m−2), number of tillers (5.97 m−2), plant height (122.97 cm), number of leaves per plant (24.50 m−2), leaf area per tiller (123.18 cm2), fresh weight (5.47 kg m−2), dry weight (1692 g m−2), dry matter yield (20.90 t ha−1), crude protein (10.54%), crude fiber (31.62%), and total ash (9.39%) were recorded for the interactive effect of 90 kg seed rate ha−1 and 160 kg N ha−1. Economic analysis revealed that interaction between 90 kg seed rate ha−1 with 120 and 160 kg N ha−1 was superior to others with higher benefit: cost ratio and net economic returns. It is recommended that the oat seed rate of forage oat crop must be kept at 90 kg ha−1 and it should be supplied 120 kg N ha−1 for higher yield, better quality, and more economic returns.

Suppressing Effect of Conocarpus lancifolius Aqueous Extract on Cereal Germination Physiology

An experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of Conocarpus lancifolius on cereal germination physiology in vitro environment at agronomic post graduate laboratory, faculty of Agriculture, Gomal University, D.I.Khan, KPK., Pakistan during the session 2021. The experimental design used was CRD with three replications. A control treatment was also included. By applying the water extract of C. lancifolius to cereal crops, namely wheat, oat, rice, millet, maize, and sorghum @ 25% (w/v) to check its allelopathic potential. The leaf water extract was applied at interval of 3 days for each treatment. The data obtained after 20 days showed that the aqueous extract of C. lancifolius effected differently for different crops. The effect of aqueous extract of C. lancifolius significantly enhance the germination count for all the cereal as compared to control. Similarly, the data recorded for plant tallness (cm) by the application of aqueous extract of C. lancifolius, the tallest plants were observed in oat, millet, and sorghum (14.6, 7.85 and 11.50 grams) respectively. Meanwhile, the aqueous extract of C. lancifolius reduced the plant height (cm) of all other cereals. Moreover, the data collected for shoot length (cm) indicated that the aqueous extract of C. lancifolius responded positively for improving the shoot length of oat as compared to control, while all other crops showed negative effect. The results further described that the aqueous extract of C. lancifolius proved to be effective in improving the root length of oat and sorghum. However, the data recorded for root length of maize were found like the control treatment and remain unaffected. Similarly, the regarded epicotyl length (cm) indicated that the application of aqueous extract of C. lancifolius responded positively in uplifting the epicotyl length (cm) of sorghum followed millet and oat having their epicotyl length 1.31, 1.16 and 1.1 (cm) respectively. However, the application of C. lancifolius aqueous extract adversely affected the count of leaves per plant, fresh and dry wight (gm) and chlorophyll content of all the crops studied.

Initial development and physiological potential of soybean and maize as a function of vigor level and seed size

This work aimed to evaluate the initial development of soybean and maize plants due to the vigor level and the seed size used. Soybean seeds of cultivar 5855 RSF IPRO (BMX ELITE) and hybrid maize Fórmula Viptera were classified in two sizes of sieve (6.00 and 6.50 mm - soybean; 7.50 and 7.00 mm - maize) and two levels of vigor for soybean and three levels of vigor for maize. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 2 x 2 bifactorial scheme (sieve size x vigor levels) for soybean and 2 x 3 (sieve size x vigor levels) for maize, with four replications. The variables evaluated were germination, first germination count and emergence in bed. In the evaluation of seedling initial performance, shoot, root and total length, volume and dry mass were evaluated at 7, 11 and 14 days after sowing for soybean and at 7, 14 and 21 days for maize seeds. High vigor soybean and maize seeds presented high physiological quality, as well as in the development of plants, where larger and of high vigor soybean seeds showed higher plant length and dry mass. The classification of seeds through the level of vigor influences the physiological quality of soybean and maize seeds. Larger seeds with higher vigor showed greater length and initial development of seedlings, being indicated the use of seeds of something vigor

Effect of Heavy Metal Pollution on Total Microbial Count and Seed Germination Ability of Soil

A wide application of heavy metals in different human processes leads to its accumulation in environment. Atmospheric deposition of metals into soil ecosystem is majorly affecting the microbial count of soil and seed germination as well. In present study, soil samples were collected from metal polluted sites and agricultural fields to determine of heavy metal (Zn, Cu, Mn and Fe) content and total heterotrophic count of different soil samples. The microbial count, seed germination percentage and heavy metal concentration in agricultural field samples were found to be in permissible limit, while increased metal concentrations and lower bacterial count were observed in metal contaminated soil samples. Increasing heavy metal concentration found to be drastically affecting on total heterotrophic count of agricultural field soil samples, while high metal concentration tolerating bacterial count was found in metal contaminated soil samples. The study suggested that metal processing industries should accept new practices to avoid such metal incorporation in natural environment to save soil microbial diversity.