. 2019 ; Shah et al. 2019 , 2020 ). Drought conditions drastically weaken the stand establishment by limiting the seed germination. Nevertheless, these yield losses in response to drought stress can be minimized in many crops by the development of
proliferation and survival rates. The propagation by seed in the nature is hampered by the limited nutrients present in minute and dust-like seeds. With the advancement of tissue-culture technology, asymbiotic seed germination is now commonly used to ensure its
, holds significant water in its layers, and seedlings can easily emerge through it upon germination ( Dana and Lerner, 2001 ). Walker et al. (1984) reported that watering was less frequent when a top coating was used in seed germination. A vermiculite
with a high percentage of germination. In this study, our aim was to determine the optimal conditions for seed germination of eight Pedicularis species, based on their responses to light and several artificial treatments. Knowledge of the effects of
conditions to which plants will be exposed in later stages of their life cycles ( Mohammad and Sen, 1990 ). Soil water supply is an important environmental factor controlling seed germination ( Kramer and Kozlowski, 1979 ). Osmotic solutions are often used
of 10 to 15 cm. Alternatively, SMS may be blended with soil at a 50% soil : 50% SMS volume ratio and used as a topsoil. Some turf managers have reported that soil amended with fresh SMS may result in a delay or inhibition of turf seed germination
, 2000b ). Arancon et al. (2007) and Edwards et al. (2006) demonstrated an enhanced seed germination and growth of tomato and cucumber plants with the application of vermicompost extracts to the growth media. Lazcano et al. (2010) reported the
tolerance to adverse conditions have increased and the commercial development of seashore paspalum cultivars has accelerated. Seed germination and seedling establishment are important stages in the field performance of crop plants. In the field, seed
seedcoat. The seedcoat can inhibit seed germination by virtue of mechanical restraint, acting as a barrier to gas or water exchange, or being a source of inhibitors ( Martinez-Honduvilla and Santos-Ruiz, 1978 ; Toole et al., 1956 ). Removing the seedcoat
period during seed development for the light environment effects on seed germinability and longevity was at the end of seed development after physiological maturity (moment of maximum seed dry weight accumulation). Because of the importance of phytochrome