This work was conducted to investigate the efficacy of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) sorting to improve seed germination, seedling emergence, and vigor of seeds produced from different maturity fruits of four different cultivars. Four harvest dates from each cultivar were evaluated by harvesting orange (immature), bright red (half-mature), dark red (mature), and dark red and soft (overmature) fruits. Seeds were either sorted or nonsorted after harvesting and standard laboratory germination, seedling emergence, and controlled deterioration tests were conducted. CF sorting significantly increased laboratory germination, seedling emergence, and seed vigor. Maximum improvements were obtained from seeds harvested from half-mature and mature stages. Mean germination improvement among cultivars between CF-sorted and nonsorted seeds were 14% in the immature seeds, 11% in half-mature seeds, 6% in mature seeds, and 9% in overmature seeds. Improvements in seedling emergence were 21%, 17%, 9%, and 10% and 4%, 11%, 10%, 14% for seed vigor (CD germination) in the all maturity stages of seed lots, respectively. CF has the potential to upgrade seed quality in pepper lots as a non-destructive sorting technology.
This work was carried out to estimate field and controlled room seedling emergence potential through seed vigour tests in cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seeds. Early radicle emergence percentages after 12 (RE12h), 24 (RE24h) and 36 (RE36h) hours of germination test, mean germination time, accelerated aging (45 °C, 100% RH, 24 h), electrical conductivity (EC) of soaking water (40 ml, 50 seeds, 20 °C), after 16 hours (EC16h) and 24 hours (EC24h), and EC16h and EC24h after accelerated ageing (AA, 45 °C, 100% RH, 24h) were tested as vigour tests in ten commercial seed lots of cress. Standard laboratory germination ranged between 88 and 93%. Seeds were sown on two occasions in field and controlled room conditions, and seedling emergence percentages were determined after 30 days in the soil and 14 days in the controlled room. Seedling emergence ranged between 67 and 85% and 59 and 83% in the first and second sowings in the field. These values were 75 and 92% in controlled room sowing. Vigour tests were correlated to seedling emergence potential at various significance levels but RE24h and EC16h showed the highest correlation coefficient values (p < 0.001) in all three sowing conditions as r = 0.879-0.988 in RE24h, and r = 0.902-0.962 in EC16h. Results indicated that early radicle emergence percentages after 24 hours (RE24h) and electrical conductivity value after 16 hours (EC16h) can be successfully used to estimate the seedling emergence potential of cress seeds in field and controlled room conditions.
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In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 3, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue.
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