Lowest Mean Germination Time Research Articles

Effect of seaweed liquid extracts from Ulva lactuca on seedling growth of mung bean (Vigna radiata)

Seaweed extracts contain a variety of compounds, such as macro- and micronutrients and plant growth regulators, which can be used by plants. Such extracts can have both negative and positive effects (depending on the concentration) when directly applied to seeds and plants. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of acid seaweed liquid extracts on growth and biochemical parameters of mung bean (Vigna radiata) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions, using direct applications to seeds and seedlings. Extracts of Ulva lactuca were obtained by hydrolysis with H2SO4 at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10% concentrations. The effects of seaweed extracts with different concentrations, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0% were tested on germination parameters (percentage index, mean time, seedling vigour index) and growth parameters (plumule and radicle length, shoot and root length as well as fresh and dry weight) in addition to biochemical parameters (protein content, total chlorophyll, total and reduced sugar) in mung bean. The results suggest that addition of acid extracts at low concentrations (0.2%) can significantly enhance seed germination rates. Higher germination rates were associated with lower mean germination time, high germination index and, consequently, greater seedling vigour and greater plumule, radicle, shoot and root length. In addition, production (fresh and dry weight) of mung bean was significantly higher compared to the control treatments. Biochemical analysis of the seedlings treated with acid seaweed liquid extracts at 0.2% showed higher protein contents. Total chlorophyll concentration of seedlings in all treatments was significantly higher than in the controls plants, whereas the accumulation of total and reducing sugars was highest in treated plants with almost all treatments at higher concentrations.

The determinants of seed germination in an alpine/subalpine community on the Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Variation in germination behavior in combination with environmental variability is thought to play an important role in promoting species coexistence within communities. In this study, we attempt to examine the relative importance of species attributes (e.g. phylogeny, life history, seed size, dispersal) and abiotic factors (e.g. temperature, habitat, altitude) on germination of 202 common species from an alpine/subalpine meadow on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Mean germination percentage (GP) and mean germination time (GT) differed significantly among phylogenetic, life history, temperature treatment and habitat groups. Both mean GT and GP of annuals were lower than those of perennials. The adhesion-dispersed seeds had the highest mean GP and ant-dispersed seeds had the lowest mean GT. Seeds dispersed early had higher mean GP than those dispersed late. Seeds from south slope had relatively higher mean GP and lower mean GT than those from other habitats. Our results also suggested that temperature rise was likely to be beneficial for both earlier germination and higher germination percentage in alpine/subalpine meadow. Contrary to the hypothesis, species with a wide geographic distribution did not germinate preferentially under more various germination conditions. We conclude that temperature and phylogeny appear to be the most important factors in regulating germination in alpine/subalpine meadow on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Estimation of the cardinal temperatures for germination of four Satureja species growing in Iran

Summary Introduction Seed germination is a complex physiological process regulated by genetic and environmental factors including temperature, water, oxygen, light and pH. Among them, temperature is one of the most important factors controlling the maximum rate and percentage of diaspore germination. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the cardinal temperatures (Tb, To, Tc) of four Satureja species growing in Iran. Methods: Seeds of Satureja mutica Fish. et C. A. Mey., S. macrantha C. A. Mey., S. sahandica Bornm and S. bachtiarica Bunge were germinated at nine constant temperatures (from 0 to 40°C) with 5°C intervals. A factorial experiment based on completely randomized design with four replications was applied to determine the cardinal temperatures estimated by three regression models including intersected-lines (ISL), quadratic polynomial (QPN) and five-parameters beta (FPB). Results: The highest germination percentage (GP) occurred at 20°C for S. mutica (86%), S. macrantha (55%), S. sahandica (81%) and S. bachtiarica (89%), but there was no significant difference between 20 and 25°C, except S. sahandica. Germination stopped at 0°C and 40°C. The highest germination rate (GR), the lowest mean germination time (MGT) and time to 50% germination (D50) were obtained at 20-25°C for all species. The GRm for S. bachtiarica was significantly (p≤0.05) higher than for three other species in all temperatures. None of the species did reach to 50% germination at temperatures higher than 30°C. Conclusion: Obtained results revealed the superiority of S. bachtiarica over the other species, v.s. S. macrantha was inferior. FPB and ISL models were most reliable for predicting cardinal temperatures, because of higher R2 value and the lower root mean square error (RMSE). S. macrantha and S. mutica showed the lowest and the highest cardinal temperatures, respectively, in all three models.

Effect of seed scarification on germination parameters in hairy indigo(Indigofera astragalina)

Two seed lots, freshly harvested and one year old seed of hairy indigo (Indigofera astragalina DC) were used in the present study. Non scarified seed was used as control. Germination test of scarified and non scarified seed lots were conducted at 25 and 30°C in the dark, between the paper (BP). First observation was recorded after 24 hr and subsequent observations were recorded at 12 hr interval up to 120 hours and afterwards at 1 day interval up to 20 days. Analysis of variance indicates that germination percentage was significantly higher in the scarified seed (93.0 and 94.5%) as compared to non scarified seed (1.5 and 4.0%) in fresh and one year old seed lot, respectively. Difference was not significant between fresh (1.5 and 2.0%) and one year old seed (3.0 and 4.0%), at 25 and 30°C temperature. In scarified seed 93.5% germination achieved within 10 days, while in non scarified seed germination was only 1.5% even after 20 days. The time spread of germination was more in non scarified (17 and 6 day) than in the scarified seed (4.5 and 4 day) in fresh and one year old seed, respectively. The lower mean germination time indicates faster germination as taken by scarified seed (61–49.8 hours) while it was 296–116 hours in the non-scarified seed in fresh and one year old seed, respectively. Higher germination index was observed in scarified seed (161.8 and 136), which denotes higher percentage and rate of germination as compared in non scarified seed (6.5 and 24.3) in the fresh and one year old seed, respectively. Germination rate index was also very high (39.0 and 47.8% day−1) in scarified seed, while it was very low (0.2 and 0.7% day−1) in the non scarified seed in the fresh and one year old seed, respectively.

Sugar apple (<i>Annona squamosa</i> L.) seed germination affected by the application of gibberellins

This research sought to establish the response of the germination percentage (PG), synchrony index (E), mean germination time (MGT) and mean germination rate (MGR) of Annona squamosa L. seeds from Apulo (province of Cundinamarca) and Castilla (province of Tolima), Colombia, to treatments with 0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 600, or 800 mg L-1 of gibberellic acid (GA). All of the treatments with GA increased the PG at each point of time of seed incubation. The 600 mg L-1 GA treatment resulted in higher PGs (92.3% at 16 days for Apulo and 95% at 24 days for Castilla) and lower MGTs (8.75 and 5.38 days for Apulo and Castilla, respectively) than those found with the concentration of 0 mg L-1 GA (17.68 and 10.88 days for Apulo and Castilla, respectively). Also, treating the seeds with 600 mg L-1 GA generated higher MGRs (0.18 and 0.12 germinated seeds/day for Castilla and Apulo, respectively) than those obtained with 0 mg L-1 GA (Castilla = 0.09 and Apulo = 0.06 germinated seeds/ day). Likewise, the germination was synchronized with the application of any concentration of GA. The results evidenced a positive response to the GA application, which provided a tool for the characterization of the phenomenon of dormancy in the A. squamosa seeds.

Germination, protein contents and soluble carbohydrates during storage of sugar apple seeds (Annona squamosa L.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the germination potential, protein contents and soluble carbohydrates in sugar apple ( Annona squamosa L.) seeds from Castilla-Tolima and Apulo-Cundinamarca, Colombia during storage for 30, 60 and 120 days in a cool room, refrigeration, and ambient conditions. In each period, the seed moisture contents, germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT), mean germination rate (MGR), soluble protein content, and contents of sucrose, glucose and fructose were evaluated. The highest GP (> 80%) and MGR (0.15 germinated seeds / day) and the lowest MGT (<7 days) were reached after 60 and 120 days of storage under ambient conditions. In the three storage conditions, the protein contents declined at 60 days and 120 days in seeds from Castilla and Apulo, respectively. Under the ambient conditions (AC), there was an increase of 72.3% in the sucrose content, 61% increase in the fructose content and 70% decrease in the glucose content. The results show that this environment temperature for 60 and 120 days was best suited for maintaining short term germination. The high GP and MGT values and low MGR value indicated a possible dormancy release that occurred naturally.

Germinación de semillas de especies de plantas de zonas semiáridas bajo tratamientos de hidratación–deshidratación

Diversos autores han estudiado la inf luencia de los tratamientos de hidratación-deshidratación (HD) sobre la germinación de algunas especies vegetales. Ciertas semillas conservan una “memoria de hidratación” al retener, durante la deshidratación, los cambios fisiológicos producidos durante la hidratación. La hipótesis es que las semillas de especies del desierto tendrán mayor porcentaje de germinación y menor tiempo medio de germinación después de ser sometidas a tratamientos de hidratación y deshidratación. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar cinco especies de plantas: (Frankenia gypsophila (I.M. Johnst.), Muhlenbergia arenicola (Buckl.), Muhlenbergia villif lora (Hitch.), Senna demissa (Rose) y Aristida adscencionis L.), las cuales fueron sometidas a los siguientes tratamientos de HD: T1= 8h·día-1, T2= 8h·día-1 + 8h·día-1 + 8h·día-1, T3= 24h·día-1 y T4= testigo. Los tratamientos de HD aplicados a las cinco especies no promovieron el aumento en el porcentaje de germinación. Los ciclos de hidratación-deshidratación incrementaron la velocidad de germinación y disminuyeron el tiempo medio de germinación (t50) de semillas de F. gypsophila, S. demissa y M. arenicola lo que podría interpretarse como una de las adaptaciones de estas semillas a los intervalos de lluvias y sequías que se presentan en las zonas áridas y semiáridas.

English

The effect of seed halopriming with potassium nitrate on germination and emergence traits of Cercis siliquastrum L seeds, in two experiments were evaluated, one in the laboratory and the other in a greenhouse. The studies were a completely randomized design and 4 replications. The treatments included non-priming and halopriming with potassium nitrate at one of four concentrations (0, 100, 250, 500 and 750 mM) for 48 h, for all treatments the seeds were boiled in water per 24 h. The results showed that seed halopriming with KNO3 at the 750 mM concentration in the laboratory significantly increased several characteristics of germination. Emergence characteristics also were increased by pretreatment of seeds with potassium nitrate when planting in greenhouse. The highest emergence percentage (57%), speed of germination (1.54 seeds per day) emergence energy (44.8%) and lowest mean germination time (13.9 days) were showed in 100 mM treatment. The best halopriming level for seedling characteristics was detected in 100 mM KNO3. However, haloprimed achenes resulted in maximum final emergence and shoot length, root length, collar diameter, shoot dry weight, root dry weight, number of leaves, leaf area and seedling quality index treated with primed techniques were increased and compared with non-prime treatment. Key words: Afforestation, Cercis siliquastrum, germination, Potassium nitrate, regeneration, seedling quality index.

PARENTAL LINE HAS MORE INFLUENCE ON SEED QUALITY THAN CONDITIONING PROCESS

Low germination percentage has been found in tomato F1 hybrid seed of male and female parent lines. Fermentation and drying steps were hypothesized to affect this issue. This study also investigated the effect of reciprocal parents on seed quality. The results showed that the maternal parent produced defect on seed but percentage of germination was influenced by parental lines. In the case of seed conditioning, chemical fermentation with HCl at 0.5-1% for 20-40 min and low temperature drying methods (heat pump dryer, silica gel or drying bead) were studied in comparison to conventional method (overnight juice fermentation and sun drying). The seed quality as determined by percentage of germination (% G), vigour – indicated by mean germination time (MGT), germination index (GI) and germination after accelerated aging (% AA) revealed that all fermentation methods had no effect on the seed appearance and % G (88-91%). HCl fermented seed at 1% for 30 min showed the lowest MGT (7.73) and the highest %AA (88.84%). All drying methods had no effect on F1 hybrid seed quality.

Effect of seed priming on maize (Zea mays L.) seedling emergence under different sowing dates

The experiment was carried out at the research field of Regional Agricultural Research Station, Jessore during 2009-10 and 2010-2011 to find out the effect of priming and ambient temperatures due to different sowing dates on emergence of maize seedlings. The experiment consisted of two priming methods viz., i) Priming, ii) Non-priming, and ten sowing dates viz., i) 15 November, ii) 30 November, iii) 15 December iv) 30 December v) 14 January vi) 29 January vii) 13 February viii) 28 February, ix) 15 March, and x) 30 March. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results showed that germination percentage, germination index, mean germination time and dry matter/plant were influenced significantly by priming. The highest germination percentage, germination index, dry matter/plant and lowest mean germination time were recorded from primed seed sown in March followed by February and November sowings but those were very poor in December and January sowings. So, primed seeds should be sown in November and February for better stand establishment of maize. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v39i4.22549 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 39(4): 693-707, December 2014

Cardinal temperatures for germination of Salvia leriifolia Benth

Summary The focus of this study is based on the examination of the germination traits and the development of thermal models of the medicinal plant Salvia leriifolia Benth. A laboratory experiment was carried out at constant temperatures ranging from 0 to 35°C, at 5°C intervals in a completely randomized design with eight replications. To describe the germination rate response to temperature, three regression models, namely Intersected-Lines (ISL), Quadratic Polynomial (QPN) and Five-Parameters Beta (FPB) were used. The highest Germination Percentage (GP) (92.8%) occurred in 15°C, but GP in the range of 10-25°C was not significant (p≤0.05). The germination process stopped at 0°C and at above 30°C. The results indicated that the highest Germination Rate (GR), the lowest Mean Germination Time (MGT) and also times to 50% germination (D50) were obtained at 20°C. Seeds did not reach to their 50% germination level in temperatures higher than 25°C. The FPB model had the best realistic estimation for cardinal temperatures. Based on models estimation, Base (Tb), Optimum (To) and Ceiling (Tc) temperatures were in the ranges of (1-1.9°C), (18.1-20.8°C) and (34.5-38.7°C), respectively.

Evaluation of seed germination and seedling vigour for single cross maize hybrids along with parental lines

In order to evaluate single cross maize hybrids for their seed quality, an experiment was carried out with nine maize inbred lines, one tester and nine single cross hybrids with one check (Indra 17). It was observed that seed size of single cross hybrids were larger than their parental lines seeds except L3. Larger and medium size seeds of hybrids had higher germination percentage and vigour than that of small size seeds of parental lines. The highest physiological performance in terms of seed germination and vigour quality parameters in terms of seedling length and weight, vigour index, mean daily germination, relative growth rate, germination index, coefficient of germination and germinative value along with peak value was found in single cross hybrids C8, C6 and C4. Lower mean germination time was reflected as greater vigour and had lesser value for single cross maize hybrids over the parental lines except L1.

Effect of hydropriming method on maize (Zea mays) seedling emergence

The research work was carried out at the Seed Laboratory of Agronomy Department of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from February to April in 2008 to find out the effect of hydropriming methods on maize seedling emergence. The hydropriming methods were- T1 (Non-priming), T2 (14 hours soaking + drying + storing), T3 (18 hours soaking + drying + storing), T4 (22 hours soaking + drying + storing), T5 (14 hours soaking + surface drying), T6 (18 hours soaking + surface drying), and T7 (22 hours soaking + surface drying). Effect of different hydropriming methods on seedling emergence performance of maize was evaluated at two moisture levels viz., 30% and 60% moisture of saturated sand in the experiment. Germination percentage, germination index and mean germination time were influenced significantly by hydropriming methods. The highest germination percentage, germination index, and lowest mean germination time were recorded with T6 (18 hours soaking + surface drying). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v39i1.20164 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 39(1): 143-150, March 2014

Bactérias extremófilas facultativas melhorando a germinabilidade de sementes de Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. blake

Neste estudo, avaliou-se o efeito da microbiolização de sementes com bactérias extremófilas facultativas (Bacillus sp. e Enterobacter sp.), isoladas, em trabalhos anteriores, a partir de condições extremas de pH e NaCl e capazes de levar ao incremento na fitomassa de eucalipto, na germinação de Eucalyptus urophylla S.T. Blake. Para avaliar a germinabilidade, foram mensurados o tempo médio, a velocidade e o coeficiente de velocidade de germinação. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com 11 tratamentos (cinco estirpes de Bacillus sp., cinco de Enterobacter sp. e uma testemunha sem bactéria), formados por oito repetições com 25 sementes cada. Os resultados do estudo indicaram que as estirpes UnB 1366 e UnB 1374 de Bacillus sp. reduziram, significativamente, menor tempo médio e maiores coeficientes e velocidades de germinação em relação às demais estirpes.

In vitrobacterial decontamination ofKelussia odoratissimaseed during dormancy breaking

Kelussia odoratissima (Apiaceae) is an endangered medicinal plant indigenous to Iran. Seeds of this plant have a long-term dormancy. This study aimed at obtaining in vitro method to reduce microbial contamination, overcome seed dormancy and to disclose the type of classification system of seed dormancy. After using completely randomized design and Duncan's Multiple Range Test, the significance of between individual group's means was assessed. Results revealed that only one gram negative bacterium strain, Klebsiella sp., was isolated from the contaminated culture. Applying 500 mg/l copper sulphate for 6 min during seed sterilization, the contamination was eradicated. During cold stratification, to estimate the effect of exogenous application of cytikinin hormones, N6-furfurylaninopurine (Kin) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) alone or in combination with each other, pre-soaking treatment with tioureae as a nitrogen compound and seed osmopriming with polyethylene glycole (PEG 6000), alone or in combination with BAP, the highest final seed germination (92.5%) was obtained on medium containing 1 mg/l BAP combined with 1 mg/l Kin. The lowest mean germination time (45.81 days) was also obtained on medium containing 0.25 mg/l BAP. Since using tiourea was simple and economical, with 80% final seed germination (using 0.2% thiourea) this can be an excellent way to promote seed germination of this plant. Considering the efficacy of treatments and growing of zygotic embryo without cold temperature exposure, seed dormancy mechanism identified as non-deep physiological dormancy and particularly chemical dormancy classification.

Effect of Hydropriming on Field Establishment of Seedlings obtained from Primed Seeds of Boro Rice cv. Brri Dhan29

An experiment was conducted at the Seed Laboratory of the Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from January to April 2012 to study the effect of hydropriming on field establishment of seedlings obtained from primed seeds of Boro rice cv. BRRI dhan29. Seeds were soaked in water for 0, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54 and 60 hours. The incubation period was 30 hours at 35°C temperature. Seed quality viz. percent germination, mean germination time, vigor index, shoot length, root length, shoot dry weight and root dry weight of rice seedlings were measured. Plant population m-2 also recorded to understand the field establishment of primed seeds. It was observed that priming treatments had significant effect on germination and other growth parameters of rice seedlings. The highest germination, vigor index, population m-2, length of shoot and root and their weight were found at 15 and 30 DAS. The lowest mean germination time was observed from hydropriming of seeds with 30 hours soaking. On the contrary, no priming treatment showed the lowest germination, vigor index, population m-2, and the highest mean germination time. The study concludes that BRRI dhan29 rice seed could be primed for 30 hours as hydropriming improves germination and field establishment of rice seedlings of Boro rice cv. BRRI dhan29.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v1i4.9102 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 1(4): 220-223

Effect of Osmopriming of Boro Rice Seeds on Field Establishment of Seedlings

An experiment was conducted at the Seed Laboratory of the Department of Agronomy, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period from January to April 2012 to study the effect of osmopriming of Boro rice seed (cv. BRRI dhan29). Seeds were soaked in 1%, 3% and 5% solutions of ZnSO4, KCl and CaCl2 for 24 hours, respectively, with 30 hours incubation at 35°C temperature. Seed quality tests such as percent germination, mean germination time, vigor index, shoot length, root length, shoot dry weight and root dry weight of rice seedlings were measured for all treatments. Population m-2 was also calculated to investigate the field establishment of primed seeds. The highest germination, vigor index, population m-2, shoot length and shoot dry weight at 15 and 30 DAS, root length at 15 DAS, root dry weight at 15 and 30 DAS and the lowest mean germination time was observed from priming of seeds with 3% ZnSO4. Exceptionally, priming with 3% CaCl2 showed the highest root length at 30 DAS. On the contrary, 3% and 5% CaCl2 priming treatment showed the lowest germination, vigor index, population m-2, shoot length and shoot dry weight at 15 and 30 DAS, root length at 15 DAS, root dry weight at 15 and 30 DAS and the highest mean germination time. It can be concluded that rice seed (cv. BRRI dhan29) can be primed with 3% ZnSO4 solution for improving germination and field establishment of rice seedlings.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v1i4.9131 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 1(4): 228-232

Effect of gibberellic acid- and water-based pre-soaking treatments under different temperatures and photoperiods on the seed germination of Allium stracheyi Baker: An endangered alpine species of Central Himalaya, India

Allium stracheyi Baker (Alliaceae, 2600–3000 m asl), an endangered species of Central Himalaya, India, has low seed germination in its natural habitat. This study is an attempt to improve seed germination by determining the seed viability with a low mean germination time (MGT) and germination index (GI) under optimum temperature, light, and pre-soaking treatments. The seeds were pre-soaked in hot water (80°C), cold water (10°C), and gibberellic acid (GA3 at 50 and 100 mg/l) for 24 h and subjected to light (12 h light and 12 h dark) and continuous dark (24 h) conditions with different temperature regimes (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30°C). The viability varied between 66.0% and 69.67% and declined rapidly after 12 months of storage. Our studies suggest that the 100 mg/l GA3 treatment was beneficial for seed germination and seedling growth. Pre-soaking in a 100 mg/l GA3 solution and incubation at 20°C under light conditions enhanced the germination significantly (p < 0.05) and resulted in the highest (97.3%) germination with the lowest MGT = 5.7 days, with GI = 8.11. The recommendations of this study support the conservation of alpine A. stracheyi via simple and cost-effective techniques for optimal seed germination.

Effect of liquid seaweed extracts on growth of tomato seedlings (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

Seaweed extracts are used as nutrient supplements, biostimulants, or biofertilizers in agriculture and horticulture to increase plant growth and yield. In this study, we examined the effect of liquid seaweed extracts (LSEs) made from Ulva lactuca, Caulerpa sertularioides, Padina gymnospora, and Sargassum liebmannii as biostimulants on the germination and growth of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) under laboratory and greenhouse conditions using foliar and soil drench applications of LSEs. We assessed LSEs at different concentrations (0.2, 0.4, and 1.0 %) on germination parameters (percentage, index, mean time, energy, and seedling vigor index) and growth parameters (plumule length, radical length, shoot length, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight) of tomato seedlings. Our results indicate that seeds treated with LSEs of U. lactuca and P. gymnospora at lower concentrations (0.2 %) showed enhanced germination (better response in germination rate associated with lower mean germination time, high germination index and germination energy, and consequently greater seedling vigor and greater plumule and radicle length). Application as a soil drench was found to be more effective in influencing the height of the plant (up to 79 cm) than the foliar spray application (75 cm). Plants receiving LSEs of U. lactuca and P. gymnospora showed increased shoot length, root length, and weight. Furthermore, U. lactuca and P. gymnospora were found to be more successful and better candidates for developing effective biostimulants to improve the growth of tomato plants. This study provides important information on the identification and utilization of Mexican seaweed resources for agriculture and is the first study to report on the uses of these seaweeds as a source of liquid extracts as biostimulants in agriculture.

Spinach seed quality: potential for combining seed size grading and chlorophyll fluorescence sorting

AbstractSpinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) seed quality is important for subsequent establishment of baby leaf and other spinach products. The indeterminate flowering pattern in spinach produces seeds of different sizes, and consequently a non-uniform seed lot. Sorting seeds based on novel sorting methods might therefore improve the establishment of spinach for producers. Spinach seeds were harvested at five different times (H1, H2, H3, H4 and H5) starting 3 weeks before estimated optimum harvest time. The harvested seeds were sorted according to chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) and seed size. Two harvest times 6 d apart were selected for further studies of seed development and germination counts. Analysis of mean germination time (MGT) of four germination counts (3, 7, 14 and 21 d) showed that smaller seed sizes ( &lt; 3.25 mm) have lower MGT than seeds of larger sizes (&gt;3.25 mm). A larger proportion of 2.5–3.25 mm size seeds had germinated on day 3 than both their larger and smaller counterparts at the later time of harvest (H4). Seeds with a diameter below 2.5 mm displayed the lowest MGT. Commercially, the use of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF)-sorted seeds, in combination with seed size sorting, may provide a useful tool for enhancing seed quality. Here our results demonstrate that a greater number of seeds with a low CF level had germinated on day 3 compared to the seeds with high CF levels. It is of relevance to develop a technology that could identify seeds that are sufficiently developed to germinate and successfully establish in the field regardless of seed size.