Bokashi leachate as a biopriming on Basella rubra L. seed germination and root development

Abstract

Basella rubra L. is a type of spinach, which is edible with high nutrient composition. It is also known to be an antioxidant. However, initial germination and root growth remain an issue due to hard exterior seed coating. Thus, some may germinate within 10 to 21 days, and some may not work at all. Inhibited growth may lead to vegetative propagation and micropropagation, which fundamentally reduce the growth and yield. Basella seed treated with Bokashi leachate was found to improve seed germination and root growth. A study was conducted using food waste EM Bokashi leachate (0:1, 1:1500, 1:1000, 1:500) with biopriming duration (6 and 12 hours). The experiment was conducted in a completely random design (CRD) with 3 replications of 100 seeds, with 24 experimental units. Based on the results, a short biopriming duration (6 hours) significantly enhanced the mean germination rate, germination speed accumulated, and coefficient of germination velocity. However, germination percentage had no significant improvement by leachate. Long priming duration significantly reduced the root development due to the seed may loss of desiccation tolerance. The concentration of leachate and priming duration had no significant interaction. In order to improve the germination and root growth performance, 6 hours of seeds priming duration or 1:500 (0.2%) of food waste Bokashi leachate was recommended to soak the Basella rubra seeds.