Abstract
Most progenies from intercrossed or outcrossed inbred selections of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.), germinated as well or better than a control outcross between 2 vigorous noninbred clones. Germination of an S3 progeny was lower than the control. In general, inbreeding reduced seedling vigor while intercrossing or outcrossing of inbreds restored vigor. Germination total and rate as expressed by an index were unrelated to subsequent seedling growth.
Abstract
Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Bl.) has much potential as a nut-producing orchard or landscape tree, being resistant to chestnut blight [Endothia parasitica (Murr.) P.J. & H.W. Anderson] and high-yielding. Chestnut is monoecious and largely self-sterile, requiring cross-pollination to produce nuts (Sanders, 1974). There is considerable variation in nut traits, such as size and sugar content, even among nuts from the same tree (Miller, 1987), due to, in part, xenia effects. The nut is composed mostly of cotyledonary tissue with a small embryo and no endosperm (Sanders, 1974). Propagation by seed is generally successful; however, no criteria exist for selection of nuts that will produce superior seedlings. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationships between seed weight, seedling emergence, and seedling growth of half-sib Chinese chestnut seeds.
Abstract
Seeds of 2 cultivars of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) were subjected to accelerated aging at 45°C and 100% relative humidity (RH) for periods up to 288 hours. In general, longer periods of aging resulted in greater declines in seed quality as measured by laboratory, greenhouse, and field emergence and germination. Seeds of ‘Iroquois’ were more sensitive to aging than ‘Hale’s Best #36’. Significant declines in germination occurred prior to any significant increases in electrolytic leakage from decorticated seeds indicating that electrolytic leakage is not a suitable test for seed quality with muskmelon.
Presowing seed treatments were devised to improve emergence and crop uniformity of two sweet corn (Zea mays L.) cultivars [`Crisp N' Sweet 711' (CNS-711) and `How Sweet It Is' (HSII)] that carry shrunken-2 (sh2) mutant endosperm. The treatments included a fungicide combination, sodium hypochlorite (SH), solid matrix priming (SMP), and SMP combined with SH during treatment (SMPSH). Seed germination was tested in a laboratory cold test. Emergence percentage, emergence rate index (ERI), and seedling dry weight were calculated from field trials. CNS-711, in the cold test and field trials, had a higher germination rate, ERI, final emergence, and seedling dry weight than HSII. In both cultivars, SMPSH significantly improved germination in the cold test and final emergence and ERI in the field trials for HSII compared to nontreated seeds. There was no significant difference between the fungicide and SMPSH treatments regardless of cultivar. These results suggest that the combination of SMP and disinfection with SH can be an alternative seed treatment to fungicides to improve uniformity and stand establishment in sh2 sweet corns.
In seed lots with high viability, the ability to produce usable seedlings under less than optimal germination conditions is related to seed vigor. Thus, seed vigor testing is an essential tool used to evaluate commercial seed lots. The most common
determine the effects of seed MC on seed viability and seed vigor of light-brown seeds stored at different temperatures, seeds desiccated for 0, 1, 2, and 5 d were sealed in aluminum foil bags and stored at room temperature (mean annual temperature of 14
result of pre-storage and post-storage factors ( Powell et al., 1984 ). Improving the seedling emergence potential (emergence percentages and uniformity) of a seed lot is important for crops that are produced from transplants such as pepper. Vigor may be
, where a priori knowledge of storage behavior is almost always lacking ( Kauth and Pérez, 2011 ; Milstein, 2005 ; Walters, 2015 ). Similarly, seed vigor is a concept that attempts to reconcile the biochemical, physiological, and genetic properties of
seeds grown outside the region. We evaluate how seed source impacts seedling height at transplant and traits including plant height, crown width, biomass production, and plant vigor. Materials and Methods Seed sources. We initially purchased
Toorop, 1997 ). Water deficit had no effect on seed germinability and vigor of onion ( Allium cepa L.) ( Žebrauskienė et al., 2005 ), peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) ( Ramamoorthy and Basu, 1996 ), and maize ( Zea mays L.) and sorghum [ Sorghum bicolor