Effects of matrix priming methods and different temperatures on changes to hybrid tomato seed quality

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of matrix priming methods and different temperature levels on changes to quality of hybrid tomato seeds. The experiment was conducted at the Seed Quality Testing Laboratory, Seed Processing Plant, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University. Matrix priming with 4 kinds of media material (calcium silicate, vermiculite, zeolite and talcum) was used. The primed seeds were incubated at 15๐C and 25๐C for 5 days. After the priming process, the moisture content of seeds was reduced to its initial values by the rotating modified air seed dryer machine (Model KKU 40-2). Then, the primed seeds were tested for seed quality. The results indicated that level of temperature had significant influence on primed seed quality. The primed seeds grown at 15๐C produced the highest quality. In addition, the primed seeds which went through the matrix priming methods that used calcium silicate, vermiculite and zeolite had the highest germination percentages and speeds of germination under laboratory and greenhouse conditions.