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The use of water and some inorganic salt solutions to advance sugar beet seed. II. Experiments under controlled and field conditions
Author(s) -
DURRANT M. J.,
PAYNE P. A.,
MCLAREN J. s.
Publication year - 1983
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.1744-7348.1983.tb02791.x
Subject(s) - seedling , sugar beet , biology , agronomy , sugar , moisture , frost (temperature) , yield (engineering) , germination , water content , field experiment , seedbed , horticulture , materials science , biochemistry , geotechnical engineering , metallurgy , composite material , engineering
SUMMARY The effect of seed advancement on the early growth of sugar beet was determined in two experiments made under controlled conditions and eight field experiments made between 1974 and 1978. The experiments in the growth room suggested that seed advancement increased the rate of emergence and seedling dry weight over a wide range of soil moisture contents but seedling numbers were only greater under sub‐optimal moisture conditions. Similarly, in most field experiments, seed advancement resulted in more rapid emergence and larger seedlings. In four field experiments, seed advancement gave up to 16% more plants, and in three experiments a significant increase in final sugar yield of up to 0–7 t h ‐1 was detected. The plants were hand‐singled to a uniform stand and had the crops been drilled to a stand, some yield responses would have been larger. Seed advancement did not decrease the plant stand or final yield in any experiments. Results in 1977 and 1978 provided some evidence that seed advancement may help reduce the damage caused by field mice and the number of plants which bolt and, by making emergence more rapid, be particularly beneficial on soils prone to slumping or capping. There might, however, be a slightly increased risk of frost injury if advanced seed is used for early sowings.