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Effects of osmotic priming and ageing on onion seed germination
Author(s) -
DEARMAN JANE,
BROCKLEHURST P. A.,
DREW R. L. K.
Publication year - 1986
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.1744-7348.1986.tb02003.x
Subject(s) - germination , ageing , priming (agriculture) , biology , horticulture , peg ratio , polyethylene glycol , osmotic pressure , accelerated aging , botany , biochemistry , materials science , composite material , finance , genetics , economics
SUMMARY Onion seeds were osmotically primed in polyethylene glycol solution (342 g/kg water) either for 14 days before accelerated ageing at 40°C. 18% m.c. for 0, 24, 48, 72 or 96 h, or for 10, 14 or 17 days after ageing. Priming improved the rate of germination compared with non‐primed seed. Priming before ageing delayed the loss of viability due to ageing, but priming after ageing had no effect on viability. Primed and dried onion seed was stored for 18 months at 10°C, 9% m.c. with no effect on viability; improvements in germination rate due to priming were maintained over the storage period. Conductivity measurements of seed leachates were not a consistently reliable indicator of germination performance.