Seed priming with water, GA3 and KNO3 solution on germination and vigor of hemp seed
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Abstract
Background and Objective: Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is a high-potential economic crop; however, seeds preserved as germplasm resources often exhibit low and inconsistent germination. Seed priming is therefore considered a promising technique for improving seed quality and enhancing germination performance. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the effects of seed priming with water, gibberellic acid (GA3), and potassium nitrate (KNO3) solutions on the germination and vigor of hemp seeds.
Methodology: A completely randomized design was used, with six treatments: non-primed seeds (Control), seed priming with RO water (Hydropriming), GA3 solutions (0.02% and 0.05%), and KNO3 solutions (0.2% and 0.5%), at 30°C for 6 hours. After priming, seeds were then reduced in moisture content to nearly the initial moisture content as 9%. Data were recorded daily for 14 days after testing, including radicle emergence (RE), germination, days to emergence (DTE), time to reach 50% germination (T50), and mean germination time (MGT).
Main Results: Seed priming did not significantly enhance percentages of RE (48.50–66.00%) and germination (29.00–39.00%), but primed seeds exhibited faster and more uniform germination. Primed seeds had T50 (5.63–6.40 days) and MGT (6.41–7.21 days) faster than non-primed seeds (7.26 and 8.16 days, respectively). Primed seeds with a 0.02% GA3 solution had the highest germination of 39.00%.
Conclusions: Seed priming with a 0.02% GA3 solution was the most effective method for stimulating germination of low-quality hemp seeds, enhancing both germination speed and seedling uniformity. This is beneficial for production, multiplication of genetic resources, and the sustainable conservation of hemp genetic resources.
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