Sugar-beet seed steep treatments to improve germination under cold, wet conditions

Abstract

Modifying the present commercial sugar-beet steep treatment (12 h in 0 .2% thiram suspension, 25 °C) to include an initial 2 h steep in 0 .3 M hydrochloric acid, decreased fruit weight and cortex density and improved the performance of the inherently slower part of the population under cold, wet conditions . Adding gibberellins (GA4,7 ) or an N-substituted phthalimide (AC 94377) to the thiram steep was also beneficial whereas kinetin of N6-benzyladenine gave no improvement . Germination was even more rapid and better synchronised following a 4-day seed advancement sequence, particularly when this started with the acid steep . Overall, it was possible to increase the proportion of seeds which gave a root or produced hypocotyls at least 2cm tall by 9% and 14% respectively ; the thermal time needed for the 90th seed to germinate was reduced from 73 to 30 day degrees and synchrony could be improved at least two-fold .

The use of hydrochloric acid to improve the germination of sugar-beet seed

“…As found in the earlier study [5], it was the growth of the slowest part of the seedling population which was affected most by the treatments . The number of day degrees (above 3 °C) needed to achieve 0 .9 Hmax is shown in Fig .…”

“…Recently, we confirmed that steeping sugar-beet seed in hydrochloric acid improved germination under cold, wet conditions [1,2,5] . The improvement in early growth was large enough to warrant further investigation .…”

“…In Experiment 3, the substrate contained 2 .6 ml KNO 3 /g filter paper and the temperature was about WC . Assessment of the proportion of seeds which gave tall hypocotyls (H), experimental design, replication and statistical analysis were as described previously [5] . Differences between individual treatments in Hmax and rates of hypocotyl growth again needed to be at least 5% or 3 d°C respectively to be significant (at p = 0 .05) .…”

Sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) seed pre-treatment with water and HCl to improve germination

“…Pre-sowing seed treatments are use to leachout germination inhibitors, soften seed coats and advance physiological processes. Various methods such as soaking the seeds in water (Jun and Ling, 2004), osmotic solutions with known matric potentials (Kaffka et al, 1997), chilling and stratification (Schutz and Rave, 1999;Jun and Ling, 2004), temperature (Demel, 1996(Demel, , 1998Demel and Mulualem, 1996), physical scarification (abrasion, removal of seed coat layers), chemical scarification (with HCl, H 2 SO 4 and HNO 3 ), growth regulators and sound stimulation pretreatment significantly affect seed germination (Duan et al, 2004;khazaei, 2001;Bockarie and Duryea, 1993;Durrant and Mash, 1991) and have been recommended for improve seed germination in dormant seeds. Presowing seed treatments have been used in a number of crops to break dormancy or leachout chemical inhibitors from seed coat to get earlier and more uniform emergence.…”

“…Peto (1964) found out that sugar beet seed germination can be improved with dilute hydrochloric or sulforic acid treatment. Durrant and Mash (1991) reported that sugar beet seed treatment with 0.3 M hydrochloric acid improved seed germination. Akeson et al ( , 1981 showed that sugar beet seed treatment with dilute hydrochloric acid improved germination and emergence in laboratory and field experiment.…”