Relations between boiling water test, standard germination test and field emergence of leek (Allium porrum L.) and onion (Allium cepa L.) seeds

The aim of this study was to determine relations occurring between boiling water test, standard germination test and field emergence of leek (Allium porrum L.) and onion (Allium cepa L.) seeds. In this study, seeds of six lots ('Kalem', 'Ala', 'Ínegöl-A, B, C and D') from three cultivars of leek and seven onion cultivars ('Early Texas Grano' (ETG), 'Panku', 'Storm', 'Banko', 'Aki', 'Kisagün' and 'Banka') seeds were used as plant material and their viability was evaluated in boiling water test (BWT), standard germination test (SGT) and field emergence (FE). The percentage of field emergence was evaluated at three sowing times: 20 May (FE-I), 10 June (FE-II) and 20 July (FE-III). The mean germination of leek seeds varied from 77.5% to 100.0% and from 36.0% to 61.0% in SGT and BWT, respectively. While the range of results obtained in the boiling water test was from 38.5% to 60.0%, the range of results of the standard germination test was from 81.0% to 100.0% in onion seeds. The range of field emergence was between 18.5% ('Kisagün', FE-III) and 72.0% (İnegöl-C', FE-II). Besides, the boiling water test was correlated highly significantly with SGT (r = 0.670**), FE-I (r = 0.923**), FE-II (r = 0.906**) and FE-III (r = 0.939**) in leek seeds. Similarly, BWT showed positive correlation with SGT (r = 0.568**), FE-I (r = 0.844**), FE-II (r = 0.933**) and FE-III (r = 0.858**) in onion seeds. In conclusion, the boiling water test is a new and reliable technique to test seed viability and it has a great potential to test rapidly germination and field emergence of leek and onion seeds at different sowing times