Breaking Seed Dormancy in Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze Seed

Abstract

Seed dormancy is one of important factor which prevent the cultivation of Tacca leontopetaloides
(L.) Kuntze. Therefore, the objective of this research was to find suitable method for breaking
T. leontopetaloides (L.) seed dormancy for improving seed germination. The present study was conducted
at Seed Technology Laboratory, Division of Postharvest Technology, School of Bioresources and Technology,
King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi during March to April 2018. The experiment was laid
out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replication and there were four treatments comprising
of 1) untreated seed (control) 2)seed soaked in distilled water at room temperature for 24 h 3) storing
seed at 10ºC for 14 days (prechill) and 4) rinsing with tap water. The results showed that all the seed
dormancy-breaking treatments significantly increased seed germination, germination index and days
to emergence compared to the control. The seed soaked in distilled water at room temperature for 24 h
was significantly highest seedling growth rate. Whereas, seed germination, germination index and days
to emergence of seed soaked in distilled water at room showed no significantly different from that of seed

stored at 10ºC for 14 days (prechill) and rinsed with tap water.However, the result indicated that seed
germination, germination index and days to emergence of seed soaked in distilled water at room temperature
for 24 h trended to higher than that the other seed dormancy-breaking treatments.