Effect of Smoke-water on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Papaya (Carica papaya cv. Tainung No. 2)

Abstract

<jats:p>Smoke-water is a chemical extract used to stimulate the germination of many plant species under cultivation. This study evaluated the efficacy of smoke-water on the seed germination and seedling growth of papaya (<jats:italic>Carica papaya</jats:italic> cv. Tainung No. 2). Smoke-water, prepared from dry rice straw (<jats:italic>Oryza sativa</jats:italic>) by burning and bubbling the smoke through water, was used for germination experiments, growth experiments, and anatomical structure changes of seeds. In the germination experiments, papaya seeds were soaked with different concentrations of smoke-water (0.1%, 0.2%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 7%, or 10%, v/v) for 24 h before planting. Low concentrations of smoke-water (0.1% or 0.2%, v/v) not only promoted the maximum rate of germination, but also shortened the germination time. Analysis of longitudinal sections of seeds treated with smoke-water concentrations of 0.1% or 0.2% v/v suggested that smoke-water could overcome water impermeability barriers, because it stimulated the seedcoat to rupture and allowed the radical to elongate and emerge faster. In the growth experiments, papaya seedlings were transplanted into peatmoss-filled pots that were saturated with different concentrations of smoke-water (0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 7%, or 10%, v/v). Results showed that all growth parameters increased significantly compared with the control. In addition, smoke-water treatments consistently and significantly increased the percentage of nitrogen in roots and shoots and significantly increased the percentage of magnesium in shoots. In these experiments, smoke-water showed potent germination promotion at low concentrations and promoted multiple growth attributes such as chlorophyll content and seedling vigor index at all concentrations in papaya seedling production.</jats:p>

Enhancement of Papaya (Carica papaya) Seedling Growth by Pranic Agriculture

“…Anburani & Shakila (2010) reported that the shoot length of 5.8 cm which is comparable to the research results obtained. The root length of 11.83 cm was reported by Chumpookam, Lin, & Shiesh (2012) in 30-day old papaya seedlings, which is in agreement to this research findings (11.4 ± 1.2 cm).…”

Smoke-Water Enhances Germination and Seedling Growth of Four Horticultural Crops

“…The current study clearly shows that plant-derived smoke-water treatments, particularly the smoke-water derived from white willow (SW 1 ) and lemon eucalyptus (SW 5 ), effectively improved GP, GR, and seedling growth of the tested crops. In accordance with our results, previous studies have shown that smoke-water and smoke-derived compounds have a positive effect on seed germination and the post-germination parameters of crops such as wheat [47], onion [48], tomato [49], okra [50], papaya [51], and lettuce [14,27]. Additionally, our results provide evidence that smoke-water can actively break dormancy in gladiolus [52].…”

Analysis of the Effect of Scarification Process on Papaya (Carica papayaLin.) Seeds Germination

“…2 consistently and significantly increased the percentage of nitrogen in roots and shoots and significantly increased the percentage of magnesium in shoots. In these experiments, smoke-water showed potent germination promotion at low concentrations and promoted multiple growth attributes such as chlorophyll content and seedling vigor index at all concentrations in papaya seedling production [11].…”

“…The desiccation produces stress in the papaya seeds when the moisture content lowers to 8.0% [8], being the cause of the seed dormancy or metabolic quiescence [9,10]. In Taiwan, the papaya industry is limited by seed germination rates [11]. This is attributed to the presence of inhibitors as the phenolic compounds in the sarcotesta and seed coat [12,13], and in some cases, the seeds lack embryos [6].…”