Mean Germination Percentage Research Articles

Evaluation of Seed Germination Parameters of Kalmegh Genotypes in Nursery

An experiment was conducted during June-July of 2018 and 2019 at Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India to screen out the most promising genotypes suited for the climatic and edaphic conditions of Jharkhand. Mean number of days taken for completion of seed germination varied from 3.33 days (OAP6) to 13.67 days (JHAP3). Germination period of different Kalmegh genotypes varied from 6.33 days (OAP6) to 15.67 days (JHAP2, JHAP3 and CHAP1). Out of the days taken to complete germination period, nearly 43% of the time was required for seed germination initiation and 62% time to achieve 50% of final germination count. Once the seed started germination, it took 8.82 days to complete seed germination i.e. 57% time was required from initiation to completion of germination. Germination trend of seeds shows that most of the seeds germinated between third to sixth days. Mean germination percentage varied from 21.00% (OAP1) to 97.67% (MPAP3). Altogether eight genotypes namely JHAP1, OAP6, MPAP2, MPAP3, MPAP4, IC111286, IC471890 and GAP1 showed excellent germination percentage having value more than 90.00%. Three Kalmegh genotypes (MPAP3, OAP6, JHAP1) gave highest germination percentage (94.00, 93.00 and 90.67%) respectively. The five genotypes namely; JHAP1, OAP6, MPAP2, MPAP3, and GAP1 were found as most promising genotypes of Kalmegh suited for the climatic and edaphic conditions of Jharkhand.

Effects of panicle position on seed viability and vigor in some selected castor seed accessions

Castor bean is widely cultivated around the world because of the commercial importance for its oil. The fruits of castor are set on a panicle-like structure called raceme. The racemes are classified into the primary, secondary and tertiary racemes as a result of their different time of initiation on the mother plant. The possibility that the raceme initiation points could affect seed viability attributes through its association with time to seed set exists. This study, therefore, determines variation in seed viability and vigor of seeds originating from different racemes positions on the same mother plant. The germination study was conducted in a screen house with 7 castor accessions using sand as a substratum. They were planted in the field under rain-fed conditions in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The castor seeds were planted in 3 rows plot with intra- and inter-row spacing of 1 m. Three seeds from each accession were sown per hole. The racemes were found to be statistically similar in terms of germination ability. However, secondary racemes had the highest mean (64.4%) for the germination percentage and germination rate index (GI) of 5.9. Accession NKAN had the higher germination ability with mean germination percentage of 68.9 and germination rate index (GI) of 6.4. In conclusion, the seed viability and vigor of castor seeds are not significantly affected by raceme positions on the mother plant.

Aegle marmelos- Effect of Seed size and pre-sowing treatment on seed germination

Aegle marmelos (L) corr. is a medicinal tree, mentioned in Charka Samhita and mentioned as necessary item in Ayurvedic medicine. Its fruits and leaves are used to treat dysentery, dyspepsia, neurological disease, edema, vomiting, and rheumatism. Seeds of Bael were collected from three locations in Rajasthan. These seeds were after proper cleaning and storage was tested for germination vigour and other parameters using different treatments and growth regulators in different concentrations. It was found that about 50 percent of germination occurs in freshly harvested seeds without any growth regulators and with GA3 it increases to 75 percent. Various other parameters viz. mean germination time and average germination percentage etc of all three seedlots were tested and presented in this paper.

Seed Germination Enhancement of Two Balanites Species (B. aegyptiaca (L.) Del. and B. rotundifolia (Tiegh.) Blatt.) Using Different Presowing Treatments in Ethiopia.

B. aegyptiaca and B. rotundifolia are known to be multipurpose trees with various uses and values. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the seed germination behaviours of B. aegyptiaca and B. rotundifolia under different presowing treatments. Hence, seeds were collected from the Central and Southern Ethiopian Rift Valley regions. Then, a total of 864 fruits (seeds) subjected to eight different presowing treatments and planted in pots arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) were tested for each species. The mean germination percentage (GP), mean daily germination percentage (GD), mean germination time (GT), and mean germination index (GI) were computed. One-way ANOVA showed the presence of significant GP, GD, GT, and GI among treatment groups at p < 0.05 under both Balanites species. For B. aegyptiaca, Tukey's HSD test showed that seeds soaked with 98% H2SO4 for 10 minutes (98HSO10m) and 20 minutes (98HSO20m) have the highest GPs (87 ± 8.8 and 82 ± 10.2, respectively) that are significant at p < 0.05. The seeds soaked in 75°C hot water for 10 minutes and subsequently cooled for 12 hours (HW75d), 98HSO10m, and 98HSO20m have the highest GDs (2%) that are significant at p < 0.05. Moreover, 98HSO20m, 98HSO10m, and seeds soaked in cold water for 48 hours at room temperature of 25°C (CW48h) have the shortest GTs (24 ± 2.2, 25 ± 0.5, and 25 ± 1.3, respectively), and 98HSO10m and 98HSO20m have the highest GIs (1.04 ± 0.09 and 1.01 ± 0.08, respectively) that are significant at p < 0.05. For B. rotundifolia, the control recorded the highest cumulative germination (i.e., 71), followed by CW48h (i.e., 51). However, Tukey's HSD tests generally indicated that no treatment group resulted in significant differences in the means of GP, GD, GT, and GI at p < 0.05. So, no treatment group was observed to enhance the germination of B. rotundifolia compared to the control. However, this study generally indicated potential seed enhancement technologies for B. aegyptiaca with greater implications for propagation, conservation, and sustainable utilization of the species in the agricultural and pastoral communities of Ethiopia.

Agro-Morphological Traits and Molecular Diversity of Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) Affected by Various Colchicine Treatments

Colchicine is a substance used to induce mutations in order to regulate important agronomic traits. The genotypes Pavlodarskoe 4, Quartet, and PI 289324, originating from Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Hungary, respectively, were used as materials. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different colchicine concentrations (0.0, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.1%) and treatment times (6, 12, and 24 h) on the agronomic traits of proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) and to assess the genetic diversity of the M2 generation using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. The experiment was conducted in 2021 for the M1 generation and in 2022 for the M2 generation, from May to September. The percentage of field germination decreased with increasing colchicine concentrations and exposure durations. The mean field germination percentages were 48.57% in Pavlodarskoe 4, 43.28% in Quartet, and 53.14% in PI 289324 under colchicine treatment. Chlorophyll-defective M1-M2 plants were obtained using various colchicine concentrations and exposure periods. The highest number of mutational modifications was attained with the 0.08–0.1% concentrations of colchicine. Based on the research results, a total of 248 plants with chlorophyll-defective mutations were selected from 2214 plants. The growing seasons of M1 and M2 plants were shortened by higher colchicine concentrations (0.08–0.1%) combined with soaking times of 12 and 24 h. Thus, the longest growing season (84 days) was observed with a 6 h treatment time for PI 289324, while the shortest (78 days) was recorded for 12 and 24 h treatments. The possibility of obtaining morphological mutations using colchicine has been confirmed. The ISSR primers amplified a total of 1333 fragments; 1281 bands were found to be polymorphic, and 52 bands were monomorphic. The percentage of polymorphism varied from 80 to 100%, with an average of 96.11%. Most of the different allelic bands were detected when applying the 0.08% colchicine concentration. These positive variations are a great opportunity to use colchicine as a tool for improving agronomic traits in plant breeding.

Germination responses with different treatments, seed vigour and seedling growth of Pterolobium stellatum (Forssk.) provenances stored from 19 to 30 years

Knowledge of the genetic variability of different species for conservation purposes and quality seedling production after longer storage time is important. The aim of the research paper was to examine the effect of longer seed storage periods (19–30 year) on seed viability, seed vigour and initial growth of seedlings from five provenances of Pterolobium stellatum (Forssk). Seeds collected from Dabena, Gambo, Agaro, Bishofitu, and Merti localities and stored for 19, 19, 21, 25, and 30 years, respectively used for the study. Different seed dormancy-breaking treatments such as; soaking in cold water for 48 h (CW-48); soaking in hot water for 10 min (HW-10); 20 min (HW-20) and mechanical scarification; i.e., nicking (NK) used for the germination of the seeds. A randomized complete block design was used for the experiment and the study undertaken in a greenhouse. For each treatment, four replications and for each replication, 50 seeds were used. One-way analysis of variance was used for germination index, early seedling growth and seed vigour index data. The results showed that for all the provenance seeds stored for different periods, NK treatment resulted relatively in a higher mean germination percentage and germination indices as compared to the other pre-treatments. The seed vigour index result showed significant differences among the different provenances (P < 0.001). Similarly, there were significant differences among the early growth of seedlings germinated from different provenance seeds (P < 0.001). The seeds collected from Merti provenance and stored for 30 years and Dabena provenance, stored for 19 years, have relatively resulted in higher mean germination index, seed vigour and seedling growth relative to the other studied provenance seeds. We observed that provenance had a more significant influence on germination, seed vigour and seedling growth than the seed storage period for the P. stellatum. Finally it is recommended that despite there is inter population variation, the seeds of P. stellatum can be stored for a longer time and application of nicking as a dormancy breaking treatment could enhance seed germination of the species.

Acid Rain and Seed Germination: A Predictive Model Using ML-based CART Algorithm

The impact of acid rain on the germination of seeds is a significant concern in agricultural and environmental studies. Acid rain, characterized by elevated acidity levels due to pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, can adversely affect the germination process of various plant species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of simulated acid rain (SAR) on the germination of Brinjal (Solanum melongena Linn.) and Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata ssp. cylindrica L. Walpers) crops. The experiments were conducted using eight plastic trays of approximately 25 cm. x 30 cm dimensions. Four trays were used for experiments with brinjal seeds (Set I), while the other four were used for cowpea seeds (Set II). One tray from each set was used as positive control and treated with normal pH 5.6, while the other three trays from each batch were treated with SAR solutions of pH 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5. Brinjal seed germination percentage and seed vigor were inferior to Cowpea seeds. The seeds treated with SAR (pH 4.5, 3.5, and 2.5) showed hindered seed germination. Furthermore, a more significant inhibitory effect was observed at lower pH values. The mean germination percentage of seeds was highest for standard SAR (pH 5.6) in the case of Brinjal seeds, while it was recorded lowest for Cowpea seeds. The results indicate that plants do not respond uniformly to SAR. To investigate the behavior of the simulated acid rain data, a Machine Learning-based Decision Tree Algorithm was employed to identify and optimize conditions. Cowpea was predicted to get 95% seed germination, whereas brinjal would only be 64% in acid rain of pH value 5.05 for 36 hours. In conclusion, utilizing a Machine Learning-based CART algorithm has provided valuable insights into predicting the germination behavior of seeds under the influence of acid rain.

Temperature and soil nutrients drive seed traits variation in Pterocarpus erinaceus (African rosewood) in Ghana.

Among plant populations, variation in seed traits has important consequences on species recruitment and performance under different environmental conditions. Knowing such variations and understanding its environmental drivers could help with conservation efforts that protect against the loss of diversity. This information is however lacking in the extinction-threatened Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir (African rosewood) in Ghana. Here, we assessed variation in seed set, seed morphological and chemical traits, germinability, and seedling growth of African rosewood from four distant provenances (Tumu, Wa, Carpenter, and Ejura) in Ghana. We sought to answer how local environmental conditions influence the expression of seed traits by examining the relationship between seed traits and maternal environmental factors (temperature, rainfall, soil nutrient, and vegetation index) using regression models and correlation analysis. Seed size, mass, and nutrient composition differed considerably among provenances. Seed size and mass increased as the seed source moved further away from the forest-savanna transition toward the Guineo-Sudanian savanna regions. Temperature mainly accounted for the variability observed in seed traits. Phenology curves of the seed source vegetation expressed a strong correlation with monthly rainfall. Overall, the occurrence of samara containing whole seeds was low (<50%) except for Tumu provenance. Seeds were rich in carbohydrate and crude protein content consistent with most leguminous plants while mean percentage germination ranged between 30 and 62% among provenances. Our results highlight the adaptive strategies of African rosewood to different environments through the expression of their seed traits and suggest the need for priority action to maintain its conservation.

EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE VARIATIONS AND PRE-SOWING TREATMENTS ON THE GERMINATION OF Milicia excelsa: A CASE STUDY OF SEEDS COLLECTED FROM BENCHI-MAJI ZONE, SOUTH-WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Seeds always exhibit some degree of dormancy, resulting in a delay and irregularity of germination, and the seeds of Milicia excelsa often have seed germination difficulty. The main objective of this study was to demonstrate the seed germination variations of M. excelsa at room temperature (20-25°C) and incubator (25.6o C). In this study, 400 seeds of M. excelsa were tested using three pre-sowing treatments and control. Each treatment was defined as four replications in which 25 seeds per replication were initially sown in a 90 mm diameter petri dish with disc paper in a completely randomized design. The result showed that the mean germination percentage of the control treatment scored about 23.8%, followed by seeded rubbed by hand with a score of 15%. It is observed that room temperature has a significant effect (29%) on the germination of the control treatment compared to the incubator (18.7%) at p=0.05. However, no significant mean germination difference is observed between the effects of room temperature and the incubator in the remaining pre-sowing treatments: Washed with tap water (T1), 2) Washed and soaked in hot water for 15 minutes (T2) and 3) rubbing by hand (T3). However, it can be inferred that room temperature is an ideal temperature that meets plants' physiological seed germination requirement. To understand the importance of temperature and light on the germination of angiosperm, further experiments involving variable ranges of temperature and light intensity can be conducted.

Effects of the combination of phytosanitary products and entomopathogenic fungi for the control of insect pests

The combination of phytosanitary products (PPs) and entomopathogenic fungi (EF) can be used in integrated pest management (IPM) programs. The aim of the present work was to study the effects of PPs, commonly used in Argentina and Brazil, combined with Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Cordyceps (Isaria) fumosorosea, for the control of insect pests in the post-harvest of wheat, under laboratory and semi-field conditions. In vitro compatibility was assessed using the biological index (BI) based on the percentages of fungal vegetative growth, sporulation, and germination. The number of colony-forming units (CFUs) was evaluated under semi-field conditions. In all cases, PPs evaluated reduced the mean germination percentages as compared with the control. According to the BI, none of the treatments evaluated were compatible with any of the three isolates, except for the treatment L7 of Lambdacialotrine, which was moderately toxic on B. bassiana. Evaluated PPs did not affect the number of CFUs of B. bassiana or C. fumosorosea with respect to the control. In contrast, PPs affected the number of CFUs of M. anisopliae, independently of the persistence time of fungi on the grains. PPs and EF should be applied separately under semi-field conditions, however, further research under field conditions should be conducted to confirm the compatibility within an IPM strategy.

Lactobacillus helveticus EL2006H cell-free supernatant enhances growth variables in Zea mays (maize), Glycine max L. Merill (soybean) and Solanum tuberosum (potato) exposed to NaCl stress.

Plant growth promoting microorganisms and their derived compounds, such as cell-free supernatant (CFS), enhance plant growth under stressed and non stressed conditions. Such technology is sustainable and environmentally friendly, which is desirable amidst the climate change threat. The current study evaluated the effect of CFS obtained from Lactobacillus helveticus EL2006H on its ability to enhance mean percentage germination and mean radicle length of corn and soybean, as well as growth parameters of potato, using treatment formulations that consisted of 0.2 and 1.0% [v/v] L. helveticus EL2006H CFS concentrations and 100 mM NaCl and 150 mM NaCl levels. Results show that treatment with 100 mM NaCl lowered percentage germination of corn by 52.63%, at 72 h, and soybean by 50%, at 48 h. Treatment with 100 NaCl +0.2% EL2006H enhanced percentage germination of soybean by 44.37%, at 48 h, in comparison to that of the 100 mM NaCl control. One hundred mM NaCl lowered radicle length of corn and soybean by 38.58 and 36.43%, respectively. Treatment with 100 Mm NaCl +1.0% EL2006H significantly increased radicle length of corn by 23.04%. Treatment with 100 mM NaCl +0.2% EL2006H significantly increased photosynthetic rate, leaf greenness and fresh weight of potato. Increasing NaCl concentration to 150 NaCl lowered the effectiveness of the 0.2% EL2006H CFS on the same growth variables of potato. In general, the lower CFS concentration of 0.2% was more efficient at enhancing germination in soybean while the higher concentration of 1.0% was more efficient at enhancing radicle length of corn. There was an observed variation in the effectiveness of L. helveticus EL2006H CFS across the different CFS concentrations, NaCl levels and crop species studied. In conclusion, based on findings of this study, CFS obtained from L. helveticus can be used as a bio stimulant to enhance growth of corn, soybean and potato. However, further studies need to be conducted, for validation, especially under field conditions, for commercial application.

Temperature Limits for Seed Germination in Industrial Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.)

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) as a grain and fiber crop is experiencing a resurgence in North America. Due to governmental prohibition, there has been limited information on regional agronomic production systems including basic information on seed germination. This study was initiated to provide basic information on the relationship between temperature and germination in hemp seed. Germination was measured at constant temperatures ranging from 3 to 42 °C. Cardinal temperatures were determined for two industrial oil crop hemp cultivars (‘Georgina’ and ‘Victoria’). The optimal germination temperature indicated by a high mean germination percentage and rate was between 19 and 30 °C. Optimal (29.6 °C), base (3.4 °C) and ceiling (42.6 °C) temperatures were calculated from a linear regression of the germination rates to reach 50% germination for each temperature. The thermal time for ‘Georgina’ and ‘Victoria’ to reach 50% germination at suboptimal temperatures was 694 and 714 °C h, respectively. The osmotic and solid matrix-primed hemp seeds germinated faster than the untreated seeds, but the final germination percentages were not different. The primed seeds germinated faster at supraoptimal temperatures but did not impact final germination percentages in the thermally inhibited seeds.

Effect of Laser Biostimulation on Germination of Sub-Optimally Stored Flaxseeds (Linum usitatissimum)

Sub-optimal storage of grains could deteriorate seed germination and plant viability. Recent research studies have established that laser biostimulation of seeds could be used as a safe and sustainable alternative to chemical treatment for improving crop germination and growth. Herein, the efficacy of this novel technique is evaluated to see if poor germinability caused by sub-optimal storage of flaxseeds (Linum usitatissimum) could be reversed using laser biostimulation. Healthy flaxseeds were first subjected to sub-optimal storage conditions (30 °C for ten weeks) to degrade their germinability. Two low-cost lasers, including a single-wavelength red laser (659 nm) and a dual-wavelength green/infrared laser (531 and 810 nm (ratio ~10:1)) were then used on two groups viz. healthy (properly stored) and sub-optimally stored (artificially degraded (AD)) seeds and irradiated for 0 (control), 5, 10, and 15 min using total power densities of 7.8 and 6.2 mW/cm2, respectively. In the case of AD seeds, 5-min dual-wavelength laser treatment was found to be the most efficient setting as it improved the mean germination percentage, mean germination time, germination speed, germination rate index, wet weight, and dry weight by 29.3, 16.8, 24.2, 24.2, 15.7, and 20.6%, respectively, with respect to control samples. In the case of healthy seeds, dual-wavelength laser treatment could induce significant enhancement in seeds’ root length, wet weight, and dry weight (improved by 26, 23, and 8%, respectively) under 10 min of irradiation. On the other hand, the effect of applied red laser treatment was not very promising as it could only induce significant enhancement in the mean germination time of AD seeds (improved by 17%). Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of laser biostimulation in reversing the adverse effect of poor crop storage. We believe these findings could spur the development of a physical tool for manipulating seed germination and plant growth.

Effect of Seed Priming as Pre-Treatment Factors on Germination and Seedling Vigour of Tomato

This study investigated the germination and seedling vigour of tomato seeds cultivar BCT-25 under different priming treatments with the objective of enhancing the crop establishment under field conditions. We primed seeds with Moringa leaf extract for 18 hours; 1% NaCl for 36 hours; 10% Polyethylene glycol (PEG) for 12 hours; 100 ppm GA3, 5% KNO3 (under dark condition) and 1000 ppm Thiourea for 24 hours; distilled water for 12 hours; 2% KH2PO4 and 93 ppm NAA (at 4°C) for 6 hours and the control (T0). All the treatments improved the seed germination and seedling vigour; however, we found the highest vigour from hydro priming followed by KH2PO4 in both years in contrast with the minimum vigour index from T0. The highest mean germination percentage was found with hydro priming (T7) followed by T8, T1, T2, T3 during both years, while the lowest average germination percentage was recorded for T0. The highest magnitude of seedling emergence under field conditions was recorded with hydro priming, i.e., 89.67% in first and 86.67% in second year followed by T8, T1, T2 while it was lowest for T0 under laboratory condition. Hydro priming had the highest field vigour indexes than all other treatments. Hydro-priming and KH2PO4 had the best performance than other priming treatments. But, in some cases the hydro-priming and KH2PO4 were similar in both laboratory and field condition. We concluded that during the initial stage of plant growth hydro-priming and KH2PO4 had the best responses than other priming treatments.

Effect of Maturity Indices on Quality, Storability and Seedling Performance of Prinsepia utilis Royle (Bhekal) Seed

Background: Prinsepia utilis Royle is a wild woody oil yielding shrub of Rosaceae, commonly known as bhekal. Plant whole parts are all precious; their root, stem, leaf, fruit, and seed oil are used as medicine. Its tender stems, leaf and fibrous root decoction, are used in toothache and throat inflammation. Besides all this, the plant is also commonly used as bio-fence, apple grafting, a substitute for soap and cosmetics, and performing different ritualistic/holistic practices. Material and methods: The fruits were collected from Chakrata forest Division (Uttarakhand), India, in mid-May 2017. Fruits are collected directly from branches and separated according to their color into three sub-lots, i.e., green, purple-green and violet. Seeds were tested under controlled conditions for their viability and vigour at different storage intervals viz 0 days (fresh), 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 days. In the nursery, seeds were sown as fresh 0 and 30 days after collection to see the storage effect on seedling performance. Seeds were sown in four replications of 100 seeds of each lot in a nursery bed prepared with compost, sand, and soil (1:1:1). Results: Fresh seeds obtained from violet fruit showed 94.50% germination, followed by purple-green and green fruit with 90.25 and 77.75%, respectively. The germination declined during storage in all types of fruit colors. It is evident from the survival curve that violet fruit retained a maximum period of mean viability (P50) (71 days) as compared to purple-green fruits (59 days) and green fruit (42 days). The violet exhibited a higher mean germination percentage (50.88) after 150 days of storage period as compared to purple-green fruit (44.17) and green fruit (26.75). The seedling performance was significantly affected by fruit colors. The violet seeds significantly exhibited good values of as compared to green and purple, green seeds. Conclusion: Seeds obtained from violet fruits may be preferred for longer storage of seeds and remaining fruit seed color should be avoided for storage purposes.

Quantitative effect of musical sound on seed germination kinetics in Pisum sativum

Germination of seed is a crucial step in a plant’s life cycle. It is essential for emergence of seedling and finally producing viable offspring. Germination encompasses a wide number of events influenced by different factors and sound is not an exception. Sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave. Sound waves with different frequencies, intensities and amplitudes affect different phases of plant’s life cycle including germination. Seed germination kinetics, particularly germination speed contributes a major role in the variability of germination. This work is aimed to analyse the effect of musical sound with specific spectral characteristics mainly Detrended Fluctuation Analysis scaling exponent on seed germination kinetics in Pisum sativum. Indian Classical music and Natural music was used to stimulate Pisum sativum seeds for 72 hours. Germination kinetics was evaluated in terms of Mean Germination Time, t20 and Germination Percentage. Experimental results showed that musical sound can speed up germination process in Pisum sativum. Extremely high statistically significant differences were observed in germination kinetics after musical sound treatment (p&lt;0.0001). This new work will be valuable for improving germination performance in Pisum sativum.

Cell-Free Supernatant Obtained From a Salt Tolerant Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Strain Enhances Germination and Radicle Length Under NaCl Stressed and Optimal Conditions

Seed germination and early plant growth are key stages in plant development that are, susceptible to salinity stress. Plant growth promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) produce substances, in their growth media, that could enhance plant growth under more optimal conditions, and or mitigate abiotic stresses, such as salinity. This study was carried out to elucidate the ability of a NaCl tolerant Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain's cell-free supernatant to enhance germination and radicle length of corn and soybean, under optimal and NaCl stressed growth conditions. Three NaCl levels (0, 50, and 75 mM) and four cell-free supernatant concentrations (1.0, 0.2, 0.13, and 0.1% v/v) were used to formulate treatments that were used in the study. There were observed variations in the effect of treatments on mean radicle length and mean percentage germination of corn and soybean. Overall, the study showed that Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BA) EB2003 cell-free supernatant could enhance mean percentage germination and or mean radicle length of corn and soybean. At optimal conditions (0 mM NaCl), 0.2% BA, 0.13% BA, and 0.1% BA concentrations resulted in 36.4, 39.70, and 39.91%, increase in mean radicle length of soybean, respectively. No significant observations were observed in mean radicle length of corn, and mean percentage germination of both corn and soybean. At 50 mM NaCl, 1.0% BA resulted in 48.65% increase in mean percentage germination of soybean, at 24 h. There was no observed effect of the cell-free supernatant on mean radicle length and mean percentage germination, at 72 and 48 h, in soybean. In corn however, at 50 mM NaCl, treatment with 0.2% BA and 0.13% BA enhanced mean radicle length by 23.73 and 37.5%, respectively. The resulting radicle lengths (43.675 and 49.7125 cm) were not significantly different from that of the 0 mM control. There was no observed significant effect of the cell-free supernatant on mean germination percentage of corn, at 50 mM NaCl. At 75 mM NaCl, none of the treatments enhanced mean radicle length or mean percentage germination to levels significantly higher than the 75 mM NaCl. Treatment with 1.0% BA, however, enhanced mean percentage germination to a level not significantly different from that of the 0 mM control, at 72 h. Likewise, in corn, none of the treatments enhanced radicle length to lengths significantly higher than the 75 mM control, although treatment with 1.0% BA, 0.13% BA, and 0.1% BA elongated radicles to lengths not significantly different from the 0 mM NaCl control. Treatment with 0.2% BA, 0.13% BA, and 0.1% BA resulted in mean percentage germination significantly higher than the 75 mM NaCl by 25.3% (in all 3), not significantly different from that of the 0 mM NaCl. In conclusion, concentration of cell-free supernatant and NaCl level influence the effect of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain EB2003A cell-free supernatant on mean percentage germination and mean radicle length of corn and soybean.

Crop Biosafety: Evaluation of Erythrophleum suaveolens (Brenan) Leaves Extracts Phytotoxicity on the Germination and Growth Characteristics of Maize (Zea mays L.)

This study aims to evaluate the phytotoxicity effect in Erythrophleum suaveolens leaves extracts on germination and growth of Oba 98, Oba super 6, Samaz 52 and Sanaz 37 maize seeds varieties obtained from Abuja, Nigeria. The maize seeds were subjected to treatment with exposure to methanol and water extract of E. suaveolens in different concentrations of 100, 10 and 1% respectively. A control group was set up without treatment. Both treated and untreated seeds were planted in petri-dish in the laboratory and their germination and growth were monitored for 8 days. Germination was only experienced with the 1% methanol of the E. Suaveolens with a mean germination percentage of 33.33±28.87, mean radical length (mm) of 24.67±24.03 and mean plumule length (mm) of 13.33±12.22 treated Oba98 seeds. All other maize seeds germination was inhibited by the extracts used for the treatment. The control group germination and growth were not inhibited. The extract treatment shows a significant relationship with the three (3) parameters; germination percentage, radical and plumule length with F(6, 84) =7.833, 9.688 and 8.567 respectively at p&lt;0.05. E. suaveolens extract demonstrated allelopathic and phytotoxicity characteristics by inhibiting the germination and growth of maize seeds after 8 days of planting. This study clearly shows that E. suaveolens demonstrated allelopathic characteristics by inhibiting the germination and growth of maize seeds after 8 days of planting. Therefore, it could be said to have a phytotoxic effect on Zea mays.

The efficiency of prechilling and gibberellic acid (GA3) for breaking thermodormancy in lettuce

Abstract: The study focused on increasing the germination of lettuce cultivars under high-temperature conditions by seed treatments. The seeds of lettuce cultivars Yedikule, Iceberg, Iri Kıvırcık, and BT Iri Kıvırcık with different leaf morphology were primed by different doses of gibberellic acid (GA3) (0, 250, 500, and 1000 ppm) and preconditioned by chilling and heating. The seeds were germinated at optimal (20 °C) and high (35 °C) temperatures. The results showed that high temperature adversely influenced the germination percentage of lettuce cultivars. The mean germination percentage was 16.8% at 35 °C and 93.4% at 20 °C. Also, there was a significant difference among lettuce cultivars for germination at 35 °C. Iri Kıvırcık and BT Iri Kıvırcık showed a severe thermodormancy and hardly ever germinated at 35 °C. Prechilling and preheating promoted germination at 35 °C compared to unprimed seeds, but prechilling resulted in higher germination than preheating. GA3 was found to be the most useful treatment for improving germination compared to the others. The germination percentage of Iceberg, Yedikule, and Iri Kıvırcık primed with GA3 doses reached over 80%. The results suggested that the germination performance of lettuce cultivars suffering from thermodormancy or wherever climatic conditions with high temperatures should be promoted by the application of 500 ppm de GA3.

Domestication of “Deguai” (Saurauia bontocensis Merr.) at La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines

“Deguai” (Saurauia bontocensis Merr.) is an indigenous wild fruit-bearing tree in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Philippines. Due to rampant and continuing conversion of its habitat into agricultural and other uses, its population has become low, and its distribution has narrowed considerably. Thus, conserving and domesticating this endemic species by establishing propagation techniques and mini-tree plantations is timely and crucial. Results showed that deguai could be readily raised by sowing fresh seeds in heat-sterilized loam soil without pre-germination treatments. It took 22 d from sowing to start and 48 d to end the germination, with a mean germination percentage of 39.60. Moreover, transplanted seedlings in various media combinations showed significant growth differences in root collar diameter (RCD) and length of primary and secondary roots but not on their height and number of secondary roots. Compost in combination with either topsoil or sand significantly emerged as the most suitable media for the growth of the studied seedlings. Stem cuttings grew best untreated rather than applying rooting hormones such as alpha-naphthalene acetic acid (ANAA) and Hormex. This result was manifested in the significantly high survival rate, numerous developed buds, and longest newly developed shoots of untreated cuttings. Stem cutting section treatment significantly affected the number of developed buds only, where base cuttings had the most. The mini-tree plantation established using rooted stem cuttings was successful with a high survival rate of 89.26% after 5 yr from field planting and with four deguai trees bearing fruits for the first time after 7 yr from field planting. The nursery-grown seedlings planted in the mini-tree plantation have exhibited a 99% survival rate nine months after outplanting. Thus, deguai can be domesticated in the new habitat for fruit production, improvement of the environment, and biodiversity conservation. Monitoring of the trees continues, and a study toward generating a fruit production-enhancing technique for the species is readied for implementation.