Premium
THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN TREATMENTS ON THE GERMINATION OF TOMATO SEEDS 1
Author(s) -
JOZEFOWICZ MARY
Publication year - 1930
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1930.tb07229.x
Subject(s) - germination , hydrogen peroxide , formaldehyde , vitality , horticulture , biology , zoology , biochemistry , genetics
S ummary .1 The effect of soaking tomato seeds in certain compounds and of exposing them to varying periods of wet and dry heat has heen investigated. 2 Good seeds (germination power 98–99 per cent.) withstood solutions of formaldehyde, not stronger than 2 per cent. (1 part per volume 38–40 per cent, commercial formaldehyde to 19 parts water) for 10 minutes, and not stronger than 1 per cent, for 15 minutes, followed by drying at 15–18° C. A 5 per cent, solution for 10 minutes, which was without effect when seeds were sown wet, retarded the germination after drying but did not affect the seeds' vitality. 3 Seeds of an inferior quality (80 per cent, germination) withstood solutions of formaldehyde not stronger than 1 per cent, for 5 minutes when sown wet, and were affected even by 0.1 per cent, formaldehyde for 5 minutes when dried after treatment. 4 100, 50, 35, 10, 5 and 1 per cent, solutions of hydrogen peroxide (commercial 20 vols. hydrogen peroxide) for 10 and 30 minutes, followed by drying, retarded germination, which was more pronounced with stronger solutions, the vitality of the seeds being practically unaffected. 5 An 0.05 per cent, mercuric chloride solution for 10 minutes proved harmless, but higher concentrations and longer treatment either checked the germination of dried seeds or retarded it markedly. 6 The vitality of seeds was not affected by copper sulphate solutions as follows: 10 per cent, for 15 minutes, 5 per cent, for 20 minutes, 2 per cent, for 50 minutes, 1 per cent, for 100 minutes and 0.5 per cent. for 200 minutes, but the germination in some cases was markedly retarded. A 5 per cent, solution of copper suphate for 10 minutes proved practically harmless. 7 Good air‐dried seeds withstood hot water at 35–46° C. for 15 hours and at 50.5° C. for 1 hour without any important injury. Higher temperatures decreased the percentage germination markedly even after 10 minutes' soaking. 8 Air‐dry seeds were not affected by exposure to dry heat of 30–50° C. for 72 hours. They withstood dry heat up to 79.5° C. even for 72 hours, the germination, however, being more retarded as the temperature and time of exposure increased. Temperatures above 79.5° C. proved very injurious at 10 minutes' exposure.