REDUCING VEGETABLE SEEDLING EXPOSURE TO SALT INJURY BY FASTER EMERGENCE THROUGH SEED TREATMENTS

Reduced water availability and salt antagonisms caused by salinity can contribute to reduced germination and seedling growth.
In areas where salinity is a problem, rapid seed emergence may help counteract the adversity of salt build-up in the seed zone.
Methods to circumvent salinity and increase emergence rate include the use of transplants, plug-mix seeding methods, and pregerminated vigorized or primed seed.
In laboratory experiments, salt tolerant seeds of spinach and cabbage, and salt sensitive seeds of cucumber and pepper were soaked in osmotic solutions of polyethylene glycol 6 000 (PEG) at -6, -8, -10, -12 bars at temperatures of 5, 10, 20°C for durations of 14 and 21 days in an attempt to increase seed germination rate.
Germination percentages were generally unaffected by soak treatment but germination rates of soaked compared to dry seed were increased 2. 4 days for spinach, 1. 5 days for cabbage and 0. 9 days for pepper by the most favorable soak treatments.
The germination rate of cucumber was unaffected by seed priming treatments.
The superior PEG seed soaks were tested in the field utilizing saline soil and irrigation water.
Emergence rate of spinach was increased by as much as two days and percent germination tripled when seed was primed in a solution of PEG at -8 bars.
Emergence rate and percentage were improved by treating cabbage with a similar solution.
Emergence rates and final stand were generally unaffected in pepper and cucumber by presoak PEG treatments.
Sowing pregerminated seed was ineffective in overcoming germination problems caused by saline conditions.
It appeared that germination problems caused by high salt levels in the soil or in irrigation water may be overcome in part in certain crops by presoak treatments with PEG.

Symposium on Seed Problems in Horticulture

D.J. Cantliffe, K.D. Shuler, J.M. White

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1978.83.34